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Two sugars, hold the guilt
by Gaïa Willis-Owen
The campus coffee war is ramping up. Where does your allegiance lie? For me, a simple principle governs what fills my mug: guilt-free coffee tastes better.
I care about where my coffee beans come from and so should you. “Fair trade” is more than a feel-good label. A fair-trade certified product does real and measurable good in the world. When you see that label, you know the farmer who grew your coffee was paid a fair price for his or her work. You know the farm where your coffee was grown is a decent place to live and work.
It would be nice to just buy your morning caffeine hit without having to think too hard about it. Maybe some of you do. But the fact is that every time you buy and consume a product, it’s a political act.
Armed with that knowledge, an average convenience store becomes a buyer’s battle ground. The number of products and brands is overwhelming. How can an average person keep track of the corporate sinners and the corporate saints? It’s not easy.
I wish I had the time and patience to find out what message my money sends each time I buy something. The truth is, I have neither. And that’s a big part of why I appreciate and support fair trade.
With fair and direct-trade products, it’s easy. The label is right there in plain sight. And with more than one campus coffee outlet offering quick, affordable and clearly-labelled fair cuppa options, the work is practically done for you. Why shy away from being a responsible global citizen?
There’s a reason for fair-trade standards. Without them, small-scale coffee farmers often can’t make enough money to cover their costs. They end up in debt, but without the resources to improve production methods or train in some other occupation.
Farm workers sometimes toil in abhorrent conditions. Without fair trade arrangements, we run the risk of getting our java from what amounts to a sweat shop in a field.
Knowing my coins could contribute to someone’s struggle, a community’s impoverishment, a farmer’s ruin because I can’t be bothered to spare a thought to where my coffee comes from, makes my choice clear.
I buy fair- and direct-trade coffee because the other option leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.