Archive for May, 2007

I drink Fair Trade coffee because…well…mostly because our partners sell coffee that is out-of-this-world good! I also drink it because it promotes economic justice and sustainable farming in coffee-growing communities overseas. Recently, however, I have come to discover that the Fair Trade principles that motivate our partners here in the United States have […]

Read the entry: How Green is Your Fair Trade Coffee? →

As Jackie wrote in a recent post, she will be participating next weekend in the Fair Trade Federation (FTF) conference, which runs from June 1-3 at American University in Washington, DC. Unfortunately, this year’s event is a members-only affair. Since folks won’t be able to wander in and get to know the remarkable […]

Read the entry: Celebrating FTF Values →

Just a quick note to congratulate the good folks at the Cenacle Conference and Retreat Center in Chicago on making the big move to Fair Trade coffee!  No more miserable corporate coffee for its guests — from now on it is all Just Coffee, all the time.
The center is run by the Cenacle sisters, whose […]

Read the entry: Chicago Conference Center Goes Fair Trade! →

The Fair Trade Federation is gathering its membership–those companies and organizations 100% committed to Fair Trade–for a conference coming up June 1-3 at American University. I’m going to be joining some CRS partners, Bob Chase of SERRV International, Bill Harris of Cooperative Coffees, as well as Mirian Ortiz, Coordinator of the wonderful Mayaworks Guatemala for […]

Read the entry: Town Hall Meeting on Transparency: What would you say? →

Because I work everyday on coffee, and because I am personally obsessed with finding out-of-this-world coffees for myself, I am generally known around CRS as “the coffee guy.” (The Baltimore Sun actually referred to me in an article a few years ago as the “CRS coffee czar.”) This means that every time coffee or […]

Read the entry: Patron Saint of Coffee? →

Tune in to Provoke Radio radio this week to hear a brilliant discussion of Fair Trade featuring our own Jackie DeCarlo (CRS Fair Trade program advisor and recently published author), and Chris Treter (co-founder of CRS Fair Trade Coffee Program partner Higher Grounds in Lake Leelanau, MI).  The episode is the third in the show’s series on […]

Read the entry: CRS and Higher Grounds Provoke Radio Listeners →

A special issue of Sojourners Magazine features Trade Justice and the many ways Christians can help Make Trade Just. Noting that “Our clothes–or coffee, jeans, and virtually everything else we consume–can tell a story” the issue profiles Traidcraft, a church hall organization that is now on the London Stock Exchange, our friends at Divine […]

Read the entry: Changing the World by Changing the Rules: Go Sojo! →

A number of people have written or called in recent days asking about a topic of perennial concern and interest: the price that farmers earn for their Fair Trade coffee. We did update folks in The Coffee Issue of our e-newsletter a few months ago, but apparently not everyone subscribes. So…here is the WHO, WHAT, […]

Read the entry: What is a Fair Price, Anyway? →

Thousands of people across dozens of countries use the second Saturday of May to celebrate World Fair Trade Day. What will you do this May 12 to participate?
Here at CRS we are proud sponsors of World Fair Trade Day in the USA! Lots is going on for us all month long, including our staff out […]

Read the entry: World Fair Trade Day is May 12 →

I am writing this on the plane ride home from Long Beach, where I just participated in the 19th Specialty Coffee Association of America conference – my fourth since I took over the CRS Coffee Program in 2004.  As I think about this year’s conference and compare it with the three previous ones, it occurs […]

Read the entry: The 100% Fair Trade Approach: Imitated, Never Duplicated →