What is in this article?:
- What's in Your Mug?
- By the Numbers
- Make a Difference
Make a Difference
At home: Spring for organic, fair-trade beans. Costing an average of $11, each pound makes about 40 cups, which breaks down to less than 30 cents a cup.
When you buy at a café: Try to choose a shop that serves all fair-trade beans. If you visit one that carries only one kind of fair trade (or none), tell the manager you'd appreciate seeing more fair-trade choices.
FAIR TRADE
Over the past decade, coffee prices plummeted to as low as 35 cents a pound, even though it costs farmers at least 60 cents to produce that coffee, according to Cycon. Certified fair-trade importers agree to pay a minimum price (now $1.26 per pound) and provide credit to small farmers. Many fair traders also fund projects benefiting local communities, from digging wells to reforestation.
SHARE YOUR JOE :: Tell us about your favorite fair-trade or organic coffee, where you find it, and why you love it. Send a note to deliciousliving@newhope.com.
Sources: Dean Cycon, founder, Dean's Beans Organic Coffee; Transfair USA; Oxfam International; Global Exchange.
