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Wednesday, 09 Jan 2002
SEATTLE, Wash.----Today I'm trying to schedule a meeting
with a local coffee importer to tour their operation and learn more about
their perspective on the coffee business. It's a visit that's probably
long overdue, but somehow I've managed to put it off. Importers represent
just one step in the process of converting coffee from crop to steaming
cup, but they're crucial to establishing shade-grown varieties in the
specialty market. What they choose to market to roasters and retailers is
what ends up in the cafes and stores. Some promote shade-grown organic
beans; others don't.
When the Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign began six years
ago with a group of volunteers and the support of several local coffee
companies, we approached the coffee issue much the same way activists
tackle any problem: We held events and raised money and waited for change
to come. And it did. Today, 45 roasters and retailers are part of the
campaign. Each has pledged to offer at least one line of shade-grown
coffee year-round and educate their customers about the benefits of
shade-grown coffee. In exchange, they get to use our logo on their
products.
To achieve what we have in the last six years, we've had
to learn a lot about the business of coffee. For instance, something as
basic as shade certification (independent confirmation that coffee is
actually grown under shade conditions) is expensive and difficult to
obtain. The sheer number of farmers, the different farming methods, and
the vast geographic area all inhibit our information-gathering. Both the
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and the Rainforest Alliance certify
shade-grown coffee, but there is no universal standard, no single label
that lets consumers know they are buying coffee that is shade-grown.
We took a big step forward last May, when the Consumer's
Choice Council issued "Conservation Principles for Coffee
Production," a set of guidelines that can be used to create
certification systems. The principles advocate coffee farming that
protects wildlife and habitat, conserves water and energy, and creates
sustainable jobs. These principles have been a powerful tool; Starbucks
has used them to change their sourcing practices, prioritizing
environmentally and socially responsible coffee in their acquisition
process.
For now, though, consumers wade through three different
systems when buying socially responsible coffee. In addition to
shade-grown coffee, fair trade and organic coffee command attention on the
supermarket shelves. Certified fair-trade importers like Equal Exchange
work directly with coffee cooperatives, ensuring that farmers receive a
stable price of $1.26 per pound. While U.S. importers encourage their
cooperatives to adopt organic and shade practices, fair trade coffee is
not necessarily organic or shade-grown. The best estimates are that 70
percent of fair trade coffee is organically produced.
If socially and environmentally responsible coffee is ever
to move beyond the niche market of specialty coffee and "into the
can," we'll need to develop one consistent label that indicates
triple-certification. Three companies -- Folgers, Nestle, and Kraft --
control much of the mainstream coffee market. To date, they have done
almost nothing to determine the source of their beans. Working through
brokers and combining coffee from different countries to create their
signature roasts, the big three conveniently opt to look the other way
when it comes to the health of the workers and of the environment in
coffee-producing countries.
I think that can change. But like the "dolphin-safe
tuna" campaign of the 1980s, coffee will need an instantly
identifiable logo to communicate to the majority of Americans who can't
tell the difference between a cappuccino and a latte. Right now we're
applying for funding to work with other organizations, like Conservation
International, on the ground in coffee country, but a coordinated effort
to ensure a steady supply of certified shade-grown coffee is still a
couple years off.
Sometimes my ambitions for this project start spinning out
of control. I'm so excited for everything to work, but I need to
concentrate on building on what we've already accomplished -- like working
on all fronts with consumers, importers, and retailers. Which reminds me,
I've got a meeting to schedule.
http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/
parkinson010902.asp
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