This document discusses the issues faced by workers in the coffee production industry. It notes that while most coffee is consumed in wealthy nations, it is primarily produced by small-scale farmers in developing countries under poor working conditions, including low wages, long hours, and some reports of slave and child labor. Fair trade certification aims to promote social justice by ensuring higher and fairer prices for farmers. However, the document questions whether large companies like Starbucks that claim to support fair trade actually obtain a meaningful portion of their coffee through these channels. It encourages consumers to support local coffee shops that prominently advertise their use of fair trade coffee.

1. Madalyn Christian
Hannah Covell
Starr Esparza
Jenna Hilss
IDS 2113

2. We love coffee…
 Coffee is one of the largest
commodities today and millions
around the world are dependent on
its production.
 Although the majority of coffee
consumption takes place in the US
and Europe, most of its production
happens in developing countries by
small scale farmers.
 There’s nothing we love more than
to stop by Starbucks for a Vanilla
Latte on our way to work or
school…
 But do we really know what goes on
in order for us to enjoy our lovely
cup of coffee every morning?

3. So, what’s going on?
 Workers in the production of coffee suffer from low wages and
bad working conditions. There have even been reports of slave
and child labor on many coffee plantations
 Case studies have been performed in Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico,
etc. that all report of the bad working conditions in the coffee
production industry and a number of problems have resulted
from this booming industry
“Both permanent and seasonal workers describe
their experiences of long working hours, poor food
and deteriorated housing and sanitation
infrastructure on farms, lack of access to health
and education services, substantial barriers to
freedom of association, and in some cases
systematic subjection to sexual harassment and
other forms of maltreatment or abuse.”
(MacDonald)

4. The Sufferers..
 Growing coffee has been the livelihood for many families for
generations. Many of these farmers do not know how to do
anything else except grow coffee.
 Millions of people in developing countries are being effected by
the coffee crises.
 The coffee crisis first began in the early 1900’s, and got even
worse between 1999 and 2003.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73MLpuaKLrA&feature=youtu.be

5. The Crisis continued..
 This drastic price crash for coffee still effects the lives of
producers.
 “The consequences of the price crash, and the chronic poverty
that already existed, remain. In other words, even though prices
have recovered, the coffee crisis continues.” (Keating, 27)
 In Nicaragua there are a lot of producer families that are
participants of “organic” and “fair trade” certified coffee. These
producers have to submit forms of inspections to the labor
standards and environmental practices in order to be given the
highest amount of money for their coffee beans.

6. Video
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGI27d8K4-o
 Think before your next cup of joe!

7. Fair Trade
 Fair trade institutional systems
promote social justice and
fairness and focus on making
democratic decisions.
 Many companies are claiming
now to be “fair trade” but this
is more of a trend than a
reality.
 However, we read that fair
trade and other ‘sustainable
'coffee movements currently
account for less than1% of the
total volume of coffee
produced globally and support
only a minority of farmers.

8. The Beloved Starbucks..
 Supposedly, Starbucks has agreed
to start selling a major portion of fair
trade coffee in their stores.
 In 2002 Starbucks bought one
million pounds of fairly traded
coffee.
 Starbucks has also helped some of
the countries that they work with by
building facilities for the workers
and their families.

9. Starbucks: Not Fair Trade???
 Words mean nothing, we
want proof!
 While Starbucks claims to be
a model corporate citizen, the
articles and facts we have
found prove to say different.
 Starbucks buys more than
100 million pounds of coffee
every year and less than 1%
of that is fair trade.
 Human rights monitors have
TRIED
visiting Starbucks locations,
but
are never able to verify these
claims.

10. Hmm..
 We found videos and
articles created and written
by Starbucks employees
that claim that Starbucks is
100% fair trade.
 We were intrigued by this
and asked the employees
of the Starbucks that we
were in working on this
project if they knew if they
brewed fair trade coffee
and they reported that no
information on that could
be shared.

11. Wouldn’t we know?
 From the information we have gathered, we conclude that
Starbucks is not 100% fair trade.
 If they were, wouldn’t it be advertised in their stores? It would be
very noticeable and known by all if this were true.
 The biggest coffee company in our country makes millions of
dollars a year while the small-scale farmers and slaves working
to produce the coffee it sells are struggling and majorly
underpaid, if paid at all.

12. Local Coffee Shops
 Today our local coffee shops are
hurting because of big corporations
like Starbucks.
 The local coffee shops support fair
trade coffee by offering it and
advertising it in their shops as well.
 Overall your local coffee shops tend
to have lower prices than places like
Starbucks.
 You will find that these shops are
also a lot less crowded, at almost
every Starbucks you will find yourself
waiting in a line!

13. Alternatives to Starbucks
 There are alternatives to Starbucks that are selling fair trade
coffee.
 Some examples:
 Green Mountain Coffee Company
 Peace Coffee Company
 The Roasterie Coffee Company
 Equal Exchange Coffee Company
 Gorilla Coffee Company

14. What we can do..
 We can all make a difference!
 People of all ages (adults, young adults, teenagers, preteens
and even some children) are all coffee drinkers in today’s
society, but do they have any idea of what’s going in their cup?
 http://youtu.be/cC_DHZ8eB30
 Visit local coffee shops in your area, see what they have to offer.
 Finally, be aware of what your drinking, knowing what’s going on
will make you think twice about what your investing in.

15. Discussion Questions
 Do you think we as consumers and individuals
can really make a difference by buying only fair
trade coffee?
 Is your vanilla latte, or drink of choice, worth the
wellbeing of other individuals?