The Human Behind the Bean

On a campus that knows all to well the early morning hours devoted to writing papers and studying for mid-terms, the lines at Cornerstone Coffee Shop and the nearby Starbucks also prove that as college students we know all to well the benefit and necessity of the caffeine found in coffee to make those early morning hours productive.

Yet on a campus that boasts social consciousness and awareness, the importance of acting on that, which is seen, as socially debilitating is crucial.

It is easy to indulge in a cup of coffee without thinking of the human behind the bean. The hands that planted and picked, the mouths that must be fed by the income.

Ethiopia is the birthplace of the rich, dark, earthy bean that is roasted and brewed to create a robustly flavorful awakening experience for millions throughout the world every morning with breakfast, as an afternoon “pick-me-up” or a rich compliment to decadent desserts. Ethiopians have been growing and drinking coffee for over 3,000 years and sending it out throughout the world since the 16th century currently making up over half the countries total export earnings.

With approximately 1.2 million Ethiopian coffee bean farmers and 15 million Ethiopians in the industry, the country is highly dependent on this small dark brown bean.

Yet the life of those dependent on the coffee bean industry throughout the world is not quite one of relaxing with a good cup of Joe in the morning.

The collapse of international coffee prices dropped the average coffee farmer earning from $1.20 per kg to $.40 per kg.
So how does a college student practice what we preach in light of the well-known less than humanitarian acceptable conditions of the coffee bean farmer?

It is possible to indulge in a stimulating cup of coffee without the guilt of supporting the cycle of poverty stricken coffee bean farmers. The Fair Trade certified sticker guarantees coffee from farmers whose bean prices and living conditions are protected.

Fair Trade is a market-based network of trade connecting over one million farmers in 58 developing countries throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. The democratically organized farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products. They enjoy freedom of association and regulated safe working conditions that strongly prohibit child labor. Middlemen are reduced and importers purchase the beans as directly as possible to keep any profit or revenue directly within the farming community investing in social and business development projects including scholarship programs, quality improvement training and organic certification. Genetically modified organisms are strictly prohibited and integrated farm management systems to improve soil fertility, limit harmful agrochemicals and support sustainable farming methods protect the health of the farms as well as the farmer.

So next time you take an invigorating sip of your cup of Joe in the morning, remember that there is story on every farm, a face to match every story and a human behind every bean.