Fairness is a'brewin'

I received a few calls (and mobile photos) from my sister, Z, last night, whilst waiting for her flight at the Oakland airport. She is en route to Nicaragua to visit a few fair trade coffee co-ops. See, she works for the non-profit store Global Exchange in San Francisco. Yeah, that's her mug plastered on the store's home page.

To pass the time before her 1AM flight Z reads Brewing Justice: Fair Trade Coffee, Sustainability, and Survival by Daniel Jaffee. It's a book about fair trade coffee and the challenges that the movement is currently facing. The book specifically highlights fair trade coffee co-ops in Oaxaca, Mexico. Jaffee's book investigates the social economic and environmental benefits of fair trade coffee.


How fitting for her to read this book before and during her trip! Z was telling me about a certain chapter that piqued her interest. The chapter highlights "fair washing", a term similar to "green washing". It's a topic that my seester and I discuss every so often every time we come across articles. She brought up a point from the chapter about Starbucks and their involvement with the fair trade movement. Yes, they are a large corporation wanting to participate in fair trade practices but the text touches on how it's watered-down and done purely for profit and street cred.

Z got the book from the infamous Green Apple Bookstore in San Francisco. A co-worker of hers recommended this book because it just so happens that this same person had been to Nicaragua before for the same mission and read the book beforehand, as well.

"It's an exciting feeling to read about this topic and then get off a plane in a few hours to experience it all first hand!"

(this is Z sporting her new straw hat)

This is the first time my sister's read any fair trade books. She usually sticks to articles and they are mainly about fair trade crafts, her specialty. This book and trip will give her a nice change of pace and help her understand the fair trade coffee industry better.

What social/environmental/political issues have you been reading about lately?