Fair trade trend

from the Nevada County Local News

Businesses dedicated to fair treatment for coffee workers

By Greg Moberly, gregm@theunion.com

Ever since Summer Thyme's Bakery and Deli in Grass Valley opened for business nearly four years ago, Sara Laurin wanted to know that the coffee beans she bought came from producers who paid fair wages to their workers.

Laurin, a co-owner of her Colfax Avenue business with her husband, is not alone.

More local coffee shop owners say that's what they want - a practice known as "fair trade" in the coffee business. Shops such as Broad Street Bistro, Coffee Town, Sierra Mountain Coffee Roasters and Starbucks offer fair trade coffee locally, despite a potentially higher price and no guarantee that fair trade means higher quality.

"I'm not here to make money on somebody else's hard work," Laurin said. "People need to be treated fairly."

Coffee is the world's second most valuable traded commodity behind petroleum, according to Global Exchange, a San Francisco human rights group. About 25 million farmers and workers are involved in coffee production in more than 50 countries worldwide, the group said.

The western Nevada County establishments selling fair trade coffee typically work with an independent inspection team that ensures the workers in the field are paid a decent wage and participating farmers follow certain environmental practices. Sustainable farming practices, which prohibit the use of harmful chemicals and encourage water and soil conservation, also are part of the fair trade movement.

"It's the right thing to do," said Theresa Vojtech, co-owner of Broad Street Bistro in Nevada City. Vojtech has been a co-owner of the Broad Street Bistro, formerly Wisdom Cafe, since the start of the year.

The fair trade coffee has been well received by customers, Vojtech said.

"We're definitely not in it for the trend," said Trish Farrow, owner of Coffee Town on South Auburn Street.

Coffee Town pays more for its fair trade coffee compared to the typically produced coffee, but that makes no difference to Farrow and other owners, because of the bigger-picture benefits.

"We pay at least a dollar more a pound for our coffee," Vojtech said.

Most of Sierra Mountain Coffee Roasters coffee is fair trade, said Anna Hudson, manager of the Maltman Drive shop. Like other local shops, they also provide organic and other uniquely produced coffees that can increase costs.

Coffee giant Starbucks also has greatly increased its fair trade purchases during the past six years. Starbucks fair trade coffee purchases rocketed from 190,000 pounds in 2000 to 18 million pounds last year, said spokewsoman Sandy Krum.