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Member News
The latest happenings and achievements of our dear member-roasters!
CoopSol AGM 2010
From January 15th to the 21st, several of Coop Coffees' members and producer partners convened in Peru for meetings and field visits during Coop Sol's 2010 annual assembly. Despite a grueling schedule (so much to do in one short week!), unexpected road blocks and run-ins with the police, everyone who participated came away with a better understanding of what fair trade truly is and should continue to be on the ground, with our partners, and within our coop.
Higher Grounds explores FT olive oil
The world of Fair Trade just keeps on growing...and getting tastier! In a recent trip to Palestine, Higher Grounds' Chris Treter explored the ins and outs of Fair Trade olive oil that is being produced by over 1,700 small farmers in the regions of Nablus, Ramallah, and Jenin. By empowering rural communities through traditional farming methods and sustainable trade partnerships, Fair Trade olive oil is slowly but surely making a difference in the lives of Palestinian farmers.
Quality Control in Oaxaca
Cooperative Coffees roasters and producer organizations from across Mexico gather together from Sept 4 - 11, 2009 under the umbrella of the Catholic Relief CAFE Livelihoods project in Oaxaca to discuss and experience first hand the challenges around producing consistently high quality coffee.
Market Challenges (and Solutions) in Nicaragua
As part of the ongoing CRS project "CAFE Livelihoods," three representatives from Coop Coffees -- Bill Harris, Tripp Pomeroy of Cafe Campesino, and Chris Treter of Higher Grounds -- spent a week in Nicaragua facilitating and participating in workshops on market management and commercialization in the coffee industry. They worked alongside 5 different cooperatives which included CC producer partners. Below is a trip report by Chris Treter, roaster-member and participant in the CRS Project.
Cafe Camp gives Miguel a taste of Georgia!
It's not every day that the folks in Americus, GA get to spend time with a farmer and marketing director from a coffee coop in Guatemala -- and it's not every day that a farmer from Guatemala gets to visit a group of Georgians and experience their culture first-hand. But that's exactly what's been happening in the hometown of Coop Coffees member Cafe Campesino - since August, Miguel Tzoy of la Asociación Chajulense in Guatemala has been visiting with the community, learning all about the day-to-day of Cafe Campesino, getting accustomed to the unique cuisine, and fitting in regular English lessons into his busy schedule!
Le Petit Rico - a tasty new addition!
In June, member roaster Café Rico opened the doors to “Le Petit Rico” – a charming restaurant-kitchen that offers delicious lunches and healthy take-out meals from 9 to 5. Sourcing from local Quebec farmers, fisherman, and butchers and using Fair Trade ingredients when they can, Le Petit Rico brings a whole new and unique flavor to the neighborhood.
Peace Coffee launches mapmybeans.com
A key principle of Fair Trade is traceability; the consumer should be able to follow the path of a delicious cup of joe, bar of chocolate, or sprinkle of sugar back to the farm and coop behind the product. Peace Coffee recently launched a bright, fun, user-friendly website for people to dig deeper into their daily brew and learn about where the coffee comes from and who produces it.
Cooperative Coffees joins hands with the Art Miles Mural Project
In March, roaster-member Amavida participated in an international, 9-years-running peace project called the Art Miles Mural Project in which communities -- and children in particular -- are encouraged to create peace through art, namely through mural-painting. This year, the organization that runs the project chose the Seaside community, home to Amavida, to host the event. After a trip to Chiapas, Amavida delivered several murals produced by producer partner Maya Vinic's children. Read Dan Bailey's summary of the event below!
Bongo Java's NunBun gains stamp status!
We're very proud to announce that the US Postal Service has announced that member-roaster Bongo Java's much-loved, and now famous, NunBun -- an ordinary cinnamon bun that many believe looked like Mother Teresa -- will be an official postage stamp! Below, Bongo Java sums up this momentous event!
Sweetwater launched!
Over the last couple months, the staff at Cafe Campesino has been busy preparing for the official launching of their "sister" roastery located in Gainesville, FL -- about 3 hours southwest of Americus, GA. Cooperative Coffees is happy to welcome Sweetwater into the family!
Spreading Christmas joy...and fun!
After visiting producer partner ACOES earlier in the year, one of Bongo Java's staff, Chris Durai felt compelled to help the members of that community make this Christmas extra special for their kids. Throwing together a local benefit concert, Chris managed to raise money to cover costs for what turned out to be a fantastic fiesta in El Salvador! Once again, we're reminded of the creativity and connection that Fair Trade enables. Read Chris' summary of the event below.
Peace Coffee: Changing the world one cup at a time.
The Star Tribune (newspaper in Minneapolis) featured Peace Coffee and their sustainable business model in October. From their bike/bio-diesel van deliveries, to their (and Cooperative Coffees') model of trade, to the controversy surrounding FT certification, this article covers several "hot" items affecting many of our roasters today.
Kickapoo Wins Again!
Every year for the last 5 years, Roast Magazine has put on a Roaster of the Year Competition to which roasters all across the country apply and enter their best coffees. Being the prestigious contest that it is, the competition is fierce and the judgment is tough. This year, CoopCoffee's member roaster Kickapoo Coffee entered for the first time ever and ended up making it as one of the top three finalists!
Peace Coffee Donates Prize Miniroaster
After participating in the annual Roaster's Guild Retreat and winning first place in the roasting competition, Peace Coffee's team "Los Guapos" received the snazzy miniroaster, Probatino by Probat Burns. They decided to donate it to CoopCoffee's long-time producer-partner Maya Vinic in Mexico and we can happily announce it's safe arrival!
Alternative Grounds Celebrates 13th Anniversary
Last July, Alternative Grounds celebrated their 13th anniversary and we thought this would be a great opportunity to let you know a little bit about their impressive list of ongoing projects. From Amnesty International to an original postcard project, read all about the great new projects that the good folks at Alternative Grounds have been up to lately.
A Decade of Fair Trade
The Americus-based specialty coffee roaster and co-founder of Cooperative Coffee celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Before toasting to our dearly beloved member and "founding father," let's retrace a bit of the history and mission behind this trail-blazing roastery and recently inaugurated coffee shop!
Making a World of Difference
Social Activist, ‘Javatrekker’ Dean Cycon Believes in Organic Business Growth. By GEORGE O’BRIEN. Published in Business West in the July 7th, 2008 Edition
Coffee with a conscience
May 18, 2008. This Albany Herald article on the 10 year anniversary of Cafe Campesino looks at the history of the Americus roastery, and at how Coop Coffees got its start.
Fair Trade or fairly traded?
May 8, 2008. Minnesota Daily article discusses the coffee chain and coffee quality, citing Peace Coffee as an example of a true fair trader.
