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December 2009
A Cooperative Coffees e-Newsletter for and about Fair Trade
Issue No. 17 December 2009
In this issue...
Reach out!
As the holiday season begins and 2009 comes to a close, we'd like to take this opportunity to THANK all our members, partners, allies and friends for another year of adventures, challenges, progress, and change. Our successful partnership with small-scale farmers - practicing a fair, transparent, and sustainable model of trade - and our ability to continue buying and selling great coffees all depend on the support and collaboration of each and every one of you. This year, Cooperative Coffees marked it's TENTH year in the Fair Trade coffee business.
This month's newsletter features just a few of the many examples of the work that CC, our roasters, our partners, and the movement in general are doing to practice and promote Fair Trade -- and to carry out the mission that Coop Coffees was founded on. Starting up 2010 - we look forward to the beginning of another eventful decade, one that already promised to launch us into a new era of Fair Trade - full of inspiring conferences, exchanges, and collaboration to come!
Until then, we wish you all the best for the holidays and hope to see you in the New Year!
Enjoy your read!
Let us know what changes you'd like to see in this newsletter by emailing us at bignews@coopcoffees.com.
Outreach and Communications
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Abby, Bill, and Chelsea at Rees Park in Americus |
 Monika, Florent, and Shannon proudly sport their CC tees...in below freezing temperatures. |
Wishing you all a restful holiday season and happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!!
Roaster News
Just Coffee goes live - KWOW-TV
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It's not surprising that the work they -- and all our roasters -- do would get attention. Going beyond the label, the standards, and the trade model, Just Coffee has always pushed the envelope of Fair Trade and encouraged everyone around them to follow suit. In November, a local news station featured them and their best practices on TV, lauding the roasting company as "Positively Wisconsin!" ...and we'd add, "positively FAIR!' |
Join Higher Grounds on an adventure in Chiapas!
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CC member Higher Grounds is headed to Chiapas, Mexico for another one of their "Fair Trade Tours"...and they're inviting you to join them! During what is sure to be a full and fruitful adventure through the Mayan highlands, the group will meet members of our producer partners, visit their communities and farms, learn about the daily struggles of small-scale farmers and witness the impact of Fair Trade on the ground. |
Producer News
ACOES building their on-site, wet-processing plant
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CAFE Livelihoods is multi-year project organized by Catholic Relief Services in partnership with Coop Coffees to improve the income and livelihoods of thousands of farmers in 4 different countries through technical training and support in quality control and market management. Recently, producer participant and partner of CC, ACOES received an eco-friendly wet processing mill. The farmers were thrilled to expand their infrastructure, reduce costs of processing, and gain the capacity to control the risk of over-fermentation, thereby improving the quality of their coffee. |
Travel: Where in the world is Coop Coffees?
El Salvador: a whirlwind tour!
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The latest in the Fair Trade movement
Questioning the Fair Trade Kit Kat
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As large corporations jump on what seems to have become the Fair Trade "bandwagon," promoters of the movement are growing increasingly concerned about the motivations and intentions of the companies. Recently, Nestle -- under pressure from multiple human rights organizations who decried their grossly unfair trade practices -- made an announcement that they'll be seeking Fair Trade certification for the widely popular Kit Kat bar in the U.K. It didn't take long for Fair Trade promoters and allies to question |
