Changing the world ... one cup at a time

Take this opportunity to share an excellent cup of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa with friends and at the same time help farmers in developing nations provide a better life for their families.

"The small farmers who grow our coffee often struggle just to make a simple living. Most live in rural communities in some of the poorest countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Isolated from markets, they are forced to accept low prices. Without affordable credit, they become trapped in a cycle of debt. Many lack access to adequate housing, health care and education. ... By paying a fair price, working with democratic cooperatives, offering affordable credit and supporting sustainable agriculture, Equal Exchange helps farmers to build better lives for themselves and their families." (From the Equal Exchange website)

On the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month, you have the opportunity to purchase fair trade coffee, tea, and other products following the morning worship services and Sunday Night Alive. Here is an example of what you might expect to purchase on a typical Sunday. Some Sundays there will also be special products for sale - for instance, chocolate bars for Valentine's Day and cranberries for Thanksgiving.

Here are answers to some questions you may have about this project.

What does "fair trade" really mean and how does it work?

In many cases, when small-scale farmers in developing nations have harvested their crops, they have few options about where to sell them. If the farmer does not own a truck, for instance, he can't take the harvested crop to a city where several buyers might bid for the crop and increase the price the farmer receives. Instead, often the farmer must sell the crop to the only person who drives through his area. Thus, he has no negotiating power over the price for which the crop sells.

For a product like coffee, where the world price for raw coffee has dropped significantly since 1990 despite the increased demand, farmers who used to support their families from their crops are now struggling to provide basic necessities for their families.

The idea of fair trade products was started with the intention of eliminating some of the levels of middlemen so that the farmers could be paid a fair wage for their labor without increasing the price to the final consumer.

With the advent of fair trade, the farmer now has a choice and can sell his coffee to the fair trade co-op rather than to the old buyer. As a result, farmers who sell their products to a fair trade organization can now afford a better life for their families, including better education and health care in their villages.

Where are we getting our fair trade products and how do we know that the products meet the fair trade standards?

We get our products from Equal Exchange, an company which is Fair Trade Certified. UMCOR has worked closely with Equal Exchange on the UMCOR Coffee Project since 2002, and more than 1,400 United Methodist congregations are now participating in the UMCOR Coffee Project.

Is fair trade a new concept?

No. The organization Equal Exchange has been around for more than 20 years.

Besides helping increase the farmers' wages, are there other benefits to fair trade products?

Equal Exchange and other fair trade organizations provide affordable credit to the farmers and work with them to encourage organic farming and sustainable agricultural practices. They help the farmers build their own autonomous cooperatives so that the farmers develop the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace.

Supporting fair trade products can also help to prevent such farmers from switching away from their traditional coffee crop to less desirable crops. For instance, in Ethiopia where the price of coffee has fallen dramatically, coffee farmers are starting to destroy their coffee plants to plant more profitable chat, a narcotic which is illegal in the U.S. and Europe.

Does it work?

Here's what farmers in cooperatives working with Equal Exchange have to say (from the Equal Exchange website).

“We used to live in houses made of corn husks,” says Don Miguel Sifontes, president of a coffee cooperative in El Salvador that sells to Equal Exchange. “Now we have better work, better schools, homes of adobe, and a greater brotherhood of decision-makers.”

In Nicaragua, Equal Exchange helped small farmers to organize their own co-op, called PRODECOOP. By participating in the Coffee Project, United Methodists can help the co-op invest in farm improvements, reduce debt, improve nutrition, and provide administrative training for members. “It is very important for you to know that fair trade leads to better roads, better health and better lives for farmers, not just in Nicaragua, but around the world,” says Rosario Castellon, former director of PRODECOOP.

In Tanzania, Equal Exchange worked with the Kilimanjaro Native Cooperative Union (KNCU) to export their coffee directly to the U.S. for the first time. Gabriel Ulomi of KNCU thanked Methodist churches for getting involved in the project: “When you drink a cup of Equal Exchange coffee, you are supporting one or two or three small scale farmers on the other side of the world so they can have a better life and education for their children.”

Are farm products the only fair trade products?

Crafts and furniture from artisans in developing nations are also available via fair trade. In fact, our Missions Ministry has been helping artisans in developing nations for many years by selling fair trade crafts to our congregation via our A Greater Gift sales.

Are fair trade products a lot more expensive?

Since most of the savings comes from reducing the number of levels of middlemen, the farmer receives more income without a significant increase in the price paid by the final consumer.

Does this conflict with the idea of "free trade"?

Not at all. "Fair trade" and "free trade" are ideas which co-exist very nicely. No one is mandating that people purchase fair trade coffee. No government is subsidizing it. Fair trade items appear on the shelves along with things that aren't fair trade. It actually opens up more options for the consumer.

Some consumers make their purchasing decisions based solely on price, and they may choose not to purchase fair trade items. But other consumers have additional critieria they use in making their purchasing decision, e.g., quality, prestige, brand loyalty, or social consciousness. In the case of fair trade, the social consciousness is for issues like poverty and sustainable agriculture. Many people are willing to pay a bit more for fair trade items.

In a sense, "fair trade" is similar to "organic." Organic foods typically cost more than other foods, both organic and non-organic foods are available in our supermarkets, and some customers choose to spend more to purchase the organic foods while others choose to save money and purchase non-organic foods.

I heard someone say that "fair trade" was just a term for price fixing.

In the early and mid 1900's, the phrase "fair trade" was applied to products which had to be sold for the price fixed by the manufacturer.

However, the current use of the phrase "fair trade" is a completely different concept and has nothing to do with price fixing. When we purchase products from Equal Exchange, we are free to charge any price when we sell them.

If farming is no longer a lucrative vocation, why not devote our efforts to helping the farmers switch to new vocations?

In the long term, it would be wonderful to help the farmers find other occupations. But the reality is that the farmers need help today and in many places there is little else the farmers could do to support their families.

Let's look at an analogy. Our congregation's Hunger Ministry feeds people today while our Bread for the World project tackles the societal issues that lead to hunger. Both are needed.

In the same way, our plans for selling fair trade coffee will help the farmers today while other projects of our church are aimed at helping people in developing nations find alternative vocations. Both approaches are needed.

How can I get more information?

For additional information about fair trade products, see the Equal Exchange website at http://www.equalexchange.com/.

If you have any questions about this program within our congregation, contact Mary Peterson (248-258-2807) or Jeff Nelson (248-646-6407 ext. 3129 or jnelson1@fumcbirmingham.org).

Sponsored by the Church and Society Ministry.