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September 2008
A Cooperative Coffees e-Newsletter for and about Fair Trade
Issue No. 4 September 2008
In this issue...
| Reach out!Outreach and special projects-CC supports Matagalpa's baseball team Roaster News -Peace Coffee Donates Prize Miniroaster -A decade of Fair Trade for Cafe Campesino Producer News |
Reach out!
At Cooperative Coffees, we're continually looking for new ways to get involved with both our local and international communities. After all, the whole idea behind Fair Trade is to engage in more than just a business transaction. In this issue of our monthly newsletter, we look at some of the ways CC takes a step beyond business to reach out to the people involved in our cause. From pitching in to support a baseball team in Nicaragua to opening a new cafe in Americus after years of serving people's roasted-bean needs, we continue to stretch beyond our coffee-selling borders.
Speaking of stretching beyond coffee, in other news, producer-partner cooperative Maya Vinic in Mexico has been busy learning how to cultivate, process, and sell Fair Trade organic honey. This type of product diversification is growing increasingly popular and as we see in Fair Trade news this month, it may become necessary in light of climate change in coffee-producing regions.
Being the complex organism that the coffee market is these days, there's a lot to learn and a lot to write about! Stories and testimonials from our producer-partners as well as our traveling members assures us -- and our critics, if they dare listen! -- that Fair Trade commerce is as relevant and effective as ever. As usual, we hope this month's newsletter, at the very least, gets you started on further exploration into the world of Fair Trade. 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 Special Projects
CoopCoffees Supports Matagalpa's Baseball Team
 | The tangy smell of old leather, the muted thud of a baseball hitting a glove, the roar of a cheering crowd. Baseball often elicits intense passions. Nowhere is this dedication and enthusiasm better exemplified than in Nicaragua where baseball is the national sport. For the past couple of years, Cooperative Coffees has supported the revitalization of this venerable sport in Matagalpa. This year, we will once again be renewing our sponsorship commitment with the Matagalpa baseball team. |
Roaster News
Peace Coffee's Donated Roaster makes it to Maya Vinic!
 | 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! But we still need help! There are some outstanding importation fees and taxes that need paying off. Please contact us (bignews@coopcoffees.com) if you're interested in helping! |
A Decade of Fair Trade for Cafe Campesino
 | The Americus-based specialty coffee roaster and co-founder of Cooperative Coffee celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Before toasting our dearly beloved member and "founding father," let's retrace a bit of the history and mission behind this trail-blazing roastery and soon-to-be coffee shop! |
Producer News
Maya Vinic Enters the Sweet World of Honey
| Product diversification projects have become a central part of the export business of many of our producer-partner cooperatives. Maya Vinic, a long-time partner of CoopCoffees, is stretching beyond the limits of coffee production and entering the sweet world of honey cultivation. With the potential to increase income and decrease traditional mono-crop dependency, this new exciting project is a sweet prospect! |
Travel: Where in the World is Coop Coffees?
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The Latest in the Fair Trade Movement
 | It has been a while now since scientists first warned us about climate change and its potential impact on the planet. Now that global warming is an indisputable fact, it is only a matter of time before it becomes an effective threat to our lives and environment. Unfortunately, some of the people most likely to be affected by this change are farmers living in southern countries. Fair Trade might be a part of the solution for coffee producers. |
Response to a Fair Trade Naysayer
 | An unfortunate though common side effect of new, against-the-grain ideas increasing in popularity is the accompanying hubbub from skeptical naysayers who’d prefer to put a stop to anything that challenges their fragile view of the world. With Fair Trade gaining momentum worldwide, articles like Gene Callahan's "Fair Trade Coffee: Not Worth a Hill of Beans" are starting to surface in a sign that free trade promoters have started to notice the chord that Fair Trade strikes with consumers. In response to the fallacies found in this article, Monika Maria Firl, Producer Relations for Cooperative Coffees, wrote this reply. Read more… |
