As consumers, we don't always think about the impact of our
purchasing power. How many times have you actually stopped to ask
yourself, "Where was this craft, coffee, chocolate, or tea produced, and
did the worker receive a fair wage for his or her work in the
production process? That probably hasn't happened too often. After all,
we live in a consumer society conditioned with not just an individual,
but a collective consumptive mentality. That those products represent
some of our largest imports from under-developed nations whose cost of
living increases against a backdrop of stagnant wages, makes this a
topic well worth consideration.
Not
many of us have the phrase "Global Equity" etched across the top of our
weekly shopping lists - although that may not be such a bad idea.
Conditioned to believe that we need the next best thing and in ever
increasing quantities, we've moved through much of our lives down a
consistent though generally thoughtless path of frenetic purchasing
activity.
Fair Trade is an organized endeavor to correct that
course. It serves to help marginalized workers and small scale producers
to attain economic self-sufficiency and stability toward an increased
standard of living. Fair Trade promotes the practice of fair pricing and
ethical consumer consumption through international labor standards,
environmentalism, education, and the development of social policies
around labeled and unlabeled Fair Trade products.
Contemporary
economics traditionally driven by consumerism has been focused primarily
on the relationship between product quality and price. Fair Trade seeks
to create an equitable exchange and so has developed a labeling and
certification process as a means to further protect workers and
producers, while assisting consumers in their conscientious shopping
activities.
The Fair Trade Debate: Fair Trade Versus Fairly Traded
There
are two major camps of debate surrounding the Fair Trade issue: one
that sees Fair Trade as an unnecessary subsidy that impedes economic
growth; and one that sees organized Fair Trade as paying lip service -
that Fair Trade is not enough and somewhat falling short of a thorough
challenge to the current trading system.
Amidst it all is the
promising hope of change. With the advent of (CSR) Corporate Social
Responsibility at the big business level pushing for responsible action,
to public education and the quiet conscious efforts of smaller
businesses and organizations who have long known and understood the
importance of economic equality - Fair Trade has moved from a remote
public consideration to a genuine model of moral socio-economic
behavior.
One company that plays a strong role towards effecting
this type of change is Camano Island Coffee Roasting Company based in
Camano, Washington.
Whether you're a coffee aficionado, a tea
drinker, or neither, Camano Island Coffee Roasting Company serves as an
excellent example of a company that exemplifies the true meaning of
Fairly Traded products.
Camano Island Coffee Roasting Company
Jeff Ericson, founder and co-owner of Camano Island Coffee delivers more than great tasting organically grown coffee products.
He
is not just another well seasoned businessman singularly concerned with
the bottom line either -- Jeff understands the true long-term value of
equitable trade, and with proper balance... how to successfully join
Fair Trade principles with strong market economy business practices to
the benefit of all.
He believes that Fair Trade is not enough:
"We
not only must make sure that a fair price is paid for the coffee - we
also need to make sure that the farmers own the land that they work on.
We need to make sure the children are getting basic health services and
learning to read and write - so we do not repeat this process again in
the next generation. We need to make sure the people are not totally
dependent on just one crop (like coffee) - but that they have other ways
to make money. We need to make sure that the village we work with has
learned to work together as a team and can create streamlined approaches
to business challenges of a rural area and that they have clean water
to drink."
THEN- we can pay a fair price for their coffee while requiring the coffee is organic and shade grown.
The
challenge with a bureaucracy is that they tend to "lower the bar" in
order to get everyone (even the big guns) into the pack.
We feel
sustainability is a commitment - not a marketing term. If you do
anything less then 100% in your purchasing decisions of coffee - then we
feel you should not call yourself "fairly traded".
We use the
term "fairly traded" because we do not feel it is our role to promote a
bureaucracy but to promote a practice of responsible consumerism.
Jeff
has built his organization based on principles of quality, equality and
service, not simply a series of campaigns to remain favored in the
public eye. When you look into the community at large, you find both a
man and a company that lead and inspire. They provide exceptional
organic coffee products that are produced with the utmost regard for
sustainability. It is a system that is vigorously enforced, providing
fair-trade wage and opportunity to the coffee farmers who work so hard
to maintain that delicate balance of health and prosperity.
What
makes this coffee so special? Camano Island Coffee beans are 100%
organic, shade-grown which preserves the native plants, and fairly
traded using the top 1% of the available coffee market. The company aims
to develop "Prosumers", or customers who are conscious of the impact
their dollars have on coffee spending.
To help customers enjoy
these benefits, Camano Island Coffee offers, "The Coffee Lover's Club".
the Coffee Lover's Club is a great program that provides two pounds of
coffee each month (your choice) for just $24.90, plus you get a 1/2
pound share-bag of their coffee of the month - delivered straight to
your door at no extra cost!
"I like it when people share our
vision, but if they don't, we still want them to buy if they want the
best coffee in the world."
A strong part of the philanthropic
vision is realized through its mission-based business model. The company
participates in two key charity programs:
Coffee Kids: Grounds For Hope - an international organization established to improve the quality of life for coffee-farming families; and
Agros International
- an organization committed to breaking the cycle of poverty for
families in Central America and Mexico by enabling landless communities
to achieve land ownership and economic stability.
Camano Island
Coffee Roasters donates $1 of ever Coffee Lover's Club program purchase
to one of these two key organizations, by customer choice.
For
more information on Camano Island Coffee Roasters, or to join the
company in its mission to promote strong sustainable business models,
with strong sustainable values visit: http://www.camanoislandcoffee.com
Marie Gunter, Co-Founder of One Green Globe (http://www.onegreenglobe.com),
a leading online community for conscientious individuals, businesses
and groups promoting sustainable and healthful living. Marie is an
experienced holistic healthcare practitioner, and seasoned promoter of
innovative technololgies, working in both the corporate and non-profit
sectors and across various industries. She is a life-long proponent of
holistic systems and sustainability. Marie provides independent
consulting, business development and public speaking services
throughout the U.S. Contact: 206-905-9254 for details.
If you are interested in experiencing your coffee in a whole new
way, then why not tour the Kona Coffee Belt in Hawaii? Hawaii is
actually the only state in the US that grows a coffee crop because
coffee trees can only thrive along the equator. Hawaii also has a rich
and fertile volcanic soil, which gives it ideal growing conditions for
its coffee crops. The reason that Kona Coffee is so valued in the coffee
community is because it is a rare type of coffee that is grown in a
smaller area with deeply developed flavors.
If you are interested
in traveling and enjoying your coffee at the same time, then why not
visit many of the different bed and breakfasts found in the Kona Coffee
producing region of Hawaii? Coffee plantations are something that are
highly prevalent in Hawaii, and you can expect to enjoy sunny mornings
with clouds in the afternoon, including seasonal rainfall. To start your
journey, why not try the Hawaiian Oasis Bed & Breakfast Inn as a
wonderful place to begin? This is a tropical bed and breakfast filled
with antiques, and it also has a pool fed by a waterfall, tennis courts,
and a spa. Breakfast will be served outdoors overlooking the ocean, and
you can expect to try native Kona Coffee seven days a week while you
are there. This is a highly popular location, and you can even book your
own special event, like a wedding!
If you are noticing a trend here, it
is specifically because Hawaii celebrates their love for their coffee
crop. Kona Coffee is something prized by coffee connoisseurs all over
the globe, and it is also quite expensive for what you will get. You can
expect to purchase a pound of this coffee for around $40 in the
continental United States, but of course, if you are staying in Hawaii,
then you may be able to go to the source to get it even cheaper.
