Editorial: A Tribute to our Producer Partners
Celebrating Cooperative Coffees’ 10th Year: A Tribute to Our Producer Partners
By Tripp Pomeroy (President of Café Campesino, a most dedicated java lover, and one of the hardest working people we know)
A few weeks ago, I approached my business partner and friend Bill Harris to let him know that I planned on writing a brief article for this issue of Fair Grounds… and that it would draw some attention to his role in the founding of Café Campesino and Cooperative Coffees. Bill’s never been anxious to jump into the spotlight nor is he particularly comfortable with the title of founder. But after conducting my due diligence (re-reading our history, talking with some of the founding members of Cooperative Coffees, and matching DNA samples) I have confirmed that it was, in fact, Bill who set out from Americus more than ten years ago in his beige Volkswagen van to recruit roasters for what he dreamed would be the world’s first and only fair trade, organic green coffee bean purchasing collective… what we now call Cooperative Coffees. (By the way, I think I speak for everyone in commending Bill and the founding members for choosing the name Cooperative Coffees… in an industry known for its enthusiastic use of acronyms, I’m pretty sure FTOGCBPC would have encountered insurmountable name recognition problems!)
So, yes, it was over ten years ago that Bill ventured out in his camper van to make what were essentially cold calls on 35 or so coffee roasters across the country. His goal: to see if any of them had the chutzpah to join his imaginary cooperative. Here’s the kicker… six of them did and within a few months of their first meetings with Bill, they all traveled to Atlanta, where they met in a small hotel room to form Cooperative Coffees. Shortly after that, this motley crew of caffeine-fueled fair trade believers purchased their first two containers of green coffee beans from our friends at Mut Vitz in Mexico and Apecaform in Guatemala, and embarked on a shared mission to make trade fair. And who were these six renegades, these optimists, these weirdos who actually believed that a fair, win-win approach to business makes good business? Peace Coffee, Heine Brothers Coffee, Los Armadillos (now Third Coast Coffee), Bongo Java, Larry’s Beans, Dean’s Beans, and Café Campesino – that’s who… as diverse a group as any, social entrepreneurs extraordinaire and a testament to the possibilities of solidarity.
You may have noticed that I haven’t used the phrase “and the rest is history” to segue into the rest of this article. Well, this is for the simple reason that the success of Cooperative Coffees depends on how effectively we partner with our producers in the name of fair trade and the degree to which we are able to help deliver a higher quality of life to the small-scale farmers with whom we work. And, while we’re doing pretty well on the former, we ain’t there yet on the latter… not even close.
In the past ten years, Cooperative Coffees has grown to 24 members – from the great white north of the Yukon to the steamy, hot streets of Gainesville, Florida – and has become a respected voice in the global movement to make trade fair. Since 1999, the members of Cooperative Coffees have collectively purchased more than 10 million pounds of Fair Trade, organic coffee, paying over $20 million out to our producer partners. And yes, we have spent these past ten years working together to deepen our business and personal relationships with 24 coffee farmer coops throughout the world’s coffee lands and bring them face to face with our customers here in North America. We feel good about these achievements and know they are making a difference
But ultimately, this celebration of our first ten years needs to be more of a tribute to our producer partners rather than a congratulations to ourselves for the slow but steady progress we’re making in changing the way people trade with each other. Any honest, genuine celebration of Cooperative Coffees must be directed at our coffee farmer friends and their coops, who against unimaginable odds, have sustained their coffee businesses, preserved their coops, and maintained an unflagging commitment to Fair Trade and those of us who roast their most special coffee beans. In Cooperative Coffees’ ten year history, not one of our producer partners has ever defaulted on a loan or other financing provided or facilitated by Cooperative Coffees. Not one. Further, I can point to numerous examples of our producer partners’ ability to create, implement, and sustain projects, programs, and ventures that build on their cooperative coffee enterprises. From micro lending and women’s enterprise development programs at CAC Pangoa in Peru to the creation of a nursery (plants) venture at APCO in Colombia, our producer partners not only work their individual coffee crops but also find the time to contribute to programs and ventures that benefit their coops and communities. Social entrepreneurs extraordinaire!
The truth about fair trade, at least as I see it, is that we’ve only just begun. Bill often reminds me that we, as Fair Traders, have to be very careful not to oversell what Fair Trade is accomplishing as too many of our producer partners, their families, and their communities remain mired in poverty. We’ve come a long way in these last ten years but boy do we have a ways to go before we can pat ourselves on the back.
The current global economic crisis is revealing, in dramatic form, the harsh consequences (for the human race and Mother Earth) of an economic system that strips people of their identities and disconnects consumers from the hard working people who produce the goods we consume. Cooperative Coffees – roasters and coffee farmers alike – has proven that partnering closely and trading fairly with each other is not only healthy, but is also viable and sustainable… it’s good business. This, we celebrate.
But let’s remember that while Cooperative Coffees has ten years of experience successfully working with small scale coffee farmers and their coops, our producer partners have a lifetime of experience surviving perpetual economic crisis, with help arriving in the form of Fair Trade only recently.
I say we celebrate Cooperative Coffees by acknowledging the integrity, tenacity, and remarkable spirit of our producer partners and by renewing our commitment to them and doing whatever it takes to make fair trade the norm and not just a niche.
Community Caravan
Stacey, Lee, Sheila & Bill at 2006 Fall BRAG
A big Thanks goes out to our friends at BRAG for their continued support and to Sheila Crowley and Stacey Johnson who helped Lee and Bill serve up Café Campesino and talk Fair Trade at this year’s Fall BRAG BikeFest in Newnan, Georgia. Unlike last year, when our BRAG crew had to weather constant rain, this year’s crew lucked out, enjoying perfect coffee-drinking temperatures and crystal-clear blue skies.
From Thursday, October 12th through Saturday, October 14th, Tripp and Bill will be at our friend’s Larry’s Beans in Raleigh, North Carolina, for Cooperative Coffees’ Annual Meeting. This annual event will bring together the coop’s now 21 members to discuss business, hear from four of our producer partners and plan for the future.
During the weekend of October 14th -15th, Sheila Crowley and Marysol Pomeroy will be serving up lots o’ Café Campesino java at this year’s Green Festival at the Washington D.C. Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW. Look for them at booth 11 in the Green Festival’s food court on Saturday from 10AM to 8PM and Sunday from 11AM to 6PM.
And on Sunday, October 15th, while Sheila and Marysol are serving up Café Campesino, Tripp and his compadre Ethan Fogleman of Larry’s Beans will also be at the DC Green Festival, leading three workshops on behalf of Cooperative Coffees in the Festival’s Fair Trade Pavilion. Joining Tripp and Ethan will be our good friend and fellow Fair Trader Michael Sheridan of the CRS Fair Trade Coffee program, of which Café Campesino and Larry’s Beans are active participants. For more info on this year’s Green Festival in DC, visit www.greenfestivals.org; to learn more about the CRS Fair Trade Coffee program, visit www.crsfairtrade.org.
From Friday, October 20th through the 22nd, Tripp and Stacey will be serving up Café Campesino at the 2nd annual BIONEERS Southeast Leadership Forum at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. This gathering of local artists, policy makers, business people, designers, educators, healers, activists, farmers, and many others is a dynamic, interactive forum addressing solutions to relevant local and regional challenges. Engaging speakers and insightful workshops create a connecting atmosphere supported by our region’s most forward thinking organizations and businesses. To learn more about BIONEERS and the 2006 Leadership Forum, visit http://www.inspiringfutures.org/bioneers.
On Saturday, October 28th, Tripp will join Café Campesino customer Garden of Eat’n in Jesup, Georgia, to serve up Café Campesino coffee and talk Fair Trade for the many, many folks expected to attend the town’s annual Dogwood Arts & Crafts Festival. For Café Campesino customers who live in the Jesup area, Garden of Eat’n is a must see natural foods market. They’re located at 140 SW Broad Street and their telephone number is (912) 588-9393.
Community Caravan
We mentioned in the last edition of Fair Grounds that April is looking to be a busy, busy month…well, we weren’t kidding! Read on for a glimpse of this “real-time” Community Caravan at its best!
Monday April 3rd — Tripp set out bright and early for Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport to pick up a delegation of extraordinary folks from Peru, including Esperanza Dionisio Castillo, the general manager of Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Pangoa Ltda. (CAC Pangoa), from whom we buy our Fair Trade, organic Peruvian coffee. Accompanying Esperanza were Marcial Lazo Mucha, Mario Chacon Acuna of the Green Development Foundation’s Progresso Coffee Program (to learn more about this program, visit www.greendevelopment.nl/progreso) and, Elizabeth Villa Junco, the general manager of Central de Productores Agroecologicos Pichanaki, CEPROAP, Pichanaki, Chanchamayo, PERU. CEPROAP is an umbrella organization of coffee producer organizations from the district of Pichanaki. Established in 2000, CEPROAP currently has 39 producer associations Ander its roof with a total of 904 small-scale producer members with over 11,000 acres of coffee under cultivation
Bill and Wilman Sotelo, a member of the technical assistance team working with our producer partners at Fondo Paez in Colombia, later joined Tripp and the Peruvian delegation to present a Fair Trade Producer Partner Perspective at Sevananda Natural Foods Market.
Tuesday, April 4th — Our friends from Peru and Colombia are in Americus for meetings, a little coffee cupping, and grits (of course), then later in the day the Peruvian delegation splits off for a visit to our friends at Larry’s Beans.
Wednesday, April 5th — Tripp and Wilman are off to visit South Georgia Technical College for a morning of dialogue with students and faculty there. After they’ve wrapped up their visit, they’ll pile into Bill’s hybrid Honda to journey to Charlotte, where they will spend the rest of the week at this year’s SCAA conference and meet with fellow members of Cooperative Coffees.
Saturday, April 15th – Tripp heads off to the Sentient Bean in Savannah, prodigious purveyors of Café Campesino coffee (and loyal Fair Trade allies) to cup coffee with the Bean’s staff and customers between 5:30 and 7:00. Following the cupping, Sentient Bean barista Linda Reno will present Fair Trade & Community in Guatemala, a one-hour presentation and photographic exposition of her recent experience visiting with our producer partners in Guatemala. If you find yourself in Savannah for the weekend, be sure to visit the Sentient Bean for Linda’s presentation and a cup of Café Campesino coffee. For more information, visit www.sentientbean.com.
Friday April 28th through the 30th – It’s that time again…Geoffrey is heading out to serve up Café Campesino and, this year, Guayaki Yerba Mate Lattes and Chai lattes, to the folks riding in this year’s Bicycle Ride Across Georgia’s Spring Tune-Up in Madison, Georgia. For more info about this annual event, visit www.brag.org.
Article: True Love is Cafe Campesino!
Valentine’s Day may be right around the corner, but that isn’t grounds to settle for that ho-hum box of chocolates for your main squeeze. Not when there’s the Café Campesino Valentine Gift Box! We’ve put together a tasty little collection of treats to please even the most discriminating friend or lover — a one-pound bag of Café Campesino’s exotic Ethiopia Harrar Full City coffee, a 12 oz. tin of exquisite Dagoba Hot Chocolate Mix, and a CD titled Musicians, Poets & Farmers, recorded by talented Nicaraguan musicians who are also Fair Trade farmers and produced by our friends at Larry’s Beans. All wholesale profits from the CD will be dispersed through CAFENICA, an umbrella organization representing over 7,000 Nicaraguan Fair Trade farmers. So, just imagine: a delicious mug of Café Campesino Organic Fair Trade coffee lovingly enhanced with a splash of hot chocolate, some truly beautiful music on the CD player and…well, use your imagination!
Give your sweetie a Valentine’s Day experience that’s truly special — give Café Campesino! To order, click here and select the 2005 Valentine Gift Box.
Trips: Coffee Lab International
Adapted from Monika Firl’s article in the Cooperative Coffees newsletter
The Cooperative Coffees Green Bean Committee coordinated the first-ever roasting and cupping workshop June 10 and 11, with the support of Mané Alves at Coffee Lab International in Vermont. Attending was a lively blend of the coop’s experienced to most neophyte roasters. Participants included: TJ Semanchin, Peace Coffee; Larry Larson, Larry’s Beans; Drew Park, Bongo Java; Lee Harris, Cafe Campesino; Chris Treter, Higher Grounds Trading; and Monika Firl, Cooperative Coffees.
Cupping exercises included blind tastes, grading and discussing how our beans compare to “typical” or “exceptional” coffees from same region.
We were able to experiment, looking at the affects of changing speed and temperatures, and to discuss the ideal roast profiles for our stock varieties.
“You want to find the sweet spot of every coffee,” Mané Alves recommended. “Drive out the moisture, get to the first pop, then work the characteristics of the bean.”
We discussed how different green processing techniques affect cup quality, and we were able to take a close look at some promising new sources.
“The class was great!” said Café Campesino roaster, Lee Harris. “I was thoroughly impressed with Mané, his facility and his staff. I feel that I have a much better understanding of the cupping process and the SCAA form, and a better understanding of how to manipulate the roaster machine to get the coffee roast I want.”
The experience was rich, rewarding and… a whole lot of fun!
Trips: A First Timer Reflects on the SCAA Meeting
As I rode down the escalator into one of the three enormous buildings which comprise the Georgia World Congress Center, I was impressed by the huge number and variety of booths at this year’s Specialty Coffee Association of America conference. The buzz and bustle of people mingling and connecting filled the air.
“Today’s newspaper,” a lady said while handing me a copy of Morning Cup as I reached the bottom of the escalator.
“Thanks,” I replied as I stepped into the large convention center and attempted to figure out where the booths for Café Campesino and Cooperative Coffees were located.
This was my first experience at a coffee convention; indeed, it was my first experience at any type of industry-specific convention. It was a huge mix of slick salesmen in three-piece suits and laid back baristas wearing cargo pants and Tevas™. There were companies pitching their restaurant software, or their accounting software, all specifically designed for those in the coffee business. Women stood at booths selling any variety of insulated mug one could desire, and stands selling cinnamon-coated almonds lent a spiced bite to the air.
“With so much to see, the show can be a bit overwhelming,” said Lee, our roaster. “However, since being in Americus doesn’t expose us to other coffee roasters, it’s great to be able to see what else is going on in the world of coffee.”
This year, we didn’t have far to travel. The 16th annual conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia, only 2 1/2 hours north of Americus. Because of this, all of us who work here got a chance to go. Kurt, our production assistant, and I went up on Friday evening to help run the booth on Saturday and Sunday. Jason, our graphics man, and Geoffrey, our resident web dude and outreach coordinator, went up a little early to set up our booths. I must say, we had a couple of snazzy-looking booths!
As suggested by its name, the SCAA isn’t limited to just Fair Trade coffee partners, and therefore we were given the chance to mingle with all sorts of folks from all parts of the coffee industry, as well as some in related industries, such as restaurants and computer software. The SCAA was created in 1982 by coffee professionals who wanted to set quality standards for specialty coffee. Currently, there are 2500 members, and the SCAA is involved in coffee production, roasting and brewing all over the world.
“What a great chance to hang out with everyone from producers to the folks that make the brewers,” said Geoffrey.
And indeed we could. Just across from our booth was that of a Kenyan producer group. Further down our aisle were several brewing equipment companies, as well as the booth of a smoothie shop. And this was just one aisle out of more than 20!
Several of our fellow southeast Cooperative Coffees roasters joined us at the convention. It was great to have Bongo Java Roasting Co. of Tennessee there, and their espresso machine, as well as Larry’s Beans of North Carolina, who were serving up drip coffee along with us at Café Campesino. Bongo Java’s come up with an excellent treat that combines a freshly pulled shot with ice cream on a stick.
Lee spent much of his time at the many workshops held during the conference, along with the roasters from several of our fellow Coop members.
“Most of my time was spent in cuppings,” said Lee, “tasting about 15 different varieties of coffees. In the advanced cupping, we also tasted for various defects.”
We didn’t see much of Bill that weekend. He was constantly going, with other members of Cooperative Coffees, joining in workshops and meetings. However, we did finally get to meet the guys who designed our new web-based ordering system. After many months of phone conversation, Café Campesino finally met two members of the Propelled team, Russ Scully and Erik Wheeler. While Bill entertained the Coop folks Saturday night, Geoffrey, Russ, Erik and I enjoyed a yummy Mexican dinner (and a yummy margarita or two) at the Tijuana Garage in Little Five Points.
On the way back to rejoin Bill and company, I managed to get lost in downtown Atlanta. Not to worry, though, we finally reconnected around 11:00 p.m. only to find that those folks were about to head out for an evening on the town in Little Five Points.
On Sunday, we had an additional person to man the booth, Tripp Pomeroy. I returned to Americus after my early morning shift and enjoyed some serious Sunday evening down time, but it was so much fun. We loved meeting new people, and putting faces with names, such as Grace with Java Republic in Mt. Dora, Florida, and Gen at ChocoLatte Coffee in Atlanta.
Thanks for stopping by, and we can’t wait until next year’s conference!
Introduction: The Promise of Spring
We’re filled with thoughts of growth and renewal this month. The appearance of spring flowers and the “just right” temperatures signal an official end to the winter blahs and the beginning of our yearly love affair with the great outdoors (especially biking!). Life is good!
This month in Fair Grounds, we offer a feature from Peace Coffee staffer Beth Backen and Larry Larson of Larry’s Beans (members of Cooperative Coffees) on their trip to Nicaragua’s CECOCAFEN cooperative. We also share our news about making the TV news and spotlight a new coffee shop in Americus. Those stories, plus a Community Caravan update, a new recipe, a Fair Trade Fact and a trivia question make for a very interesting issue. Settle in with a big ol’ mug of Café Campesino and read on!
Producer Profile: CECOCAFEN
by Beth Backen of Peace Coffee and Larry Larson of Larry’s Beans
We arrived at our Nicaraguan coffee farmer co-op CECOCAFEN with our backpacks full, video cameras rolling, and still cameras clicking. The visit to Nicaragua was planned as an exposure tour for members and clients interested in learning more about CECOCAFEN — confronting the development needs of 20+ base-community organizations, while operating a processing plant and large-scale marketing operation for national and international exports in a time of on-going coffee price crisis. You could say that it was a meeting of two worlds. The co-op members came with the ingenuity built from necessity and endless enthusiasm to share with us their newest community project, The Coffee Tourism Trail.
What we found most impressive about CECOCAFEN were its programs designed to build empowerment among the farmers. Being part of a larger co-op, producers can search more effectively for buyers in the fair trade market, bargain collectively, and receive help with paperwork for organic and fair trade certification. But at the end of the day, even with a good portion of their coffee selling at Fair Trade prices, coffee sales alone are not enough to provide for all the farmers’ needs.
So CECOCAFEN is helping the families look for ways to diversify their income. Some women are learning to make herbal medicines with hopes of creating a marketable line of products; others are experimenting with new crops and are learning tasty ways to cook with soy for an inexpensive source of protein; and still other families are participating in the coffee tourism project, hosting groups like ours.
During our community visit, we stayed at Dionicia Valdiria Hernandez’s home. “Dionicia was clearly the maestra of the house,” recalled Larry. “With 13 kids underfoot, she orchestrated a beautiful command and control center. Our first afternoon, the three of us — Beth, Amy, and myself — were off with doña Dionicia and company cutting down sugar cane and digging up yucca root. Damn, it tasted good!”
We spent the next days learning about the tasks at hand — picking, sorting, de-pulping coffee cherries, drying the pergamino, and again sorting the now-dried beans in preparation for final inspection upon entering into CECOCAFEN’s processing plant. We were impressed with the amount of time it took us to fill a small basket with coffee cherries, and then how much that pile of cherries reduced, once we took it through a de-pulping machine! Doña Dionicia then demonstrated the tasks of sorting through the dried pergamino, pulling out the unacceptable beans, hand husking, and the roasting and grinding for our morning, noon and evening cups of java.
We definitely gained a deeper connection with the farmers, after witnessing the labor-intensive tasks involved with growing coffee. But we also had time to talk with them about their lives and to learn about their hopes and goals for their families and communities. When asked what they would do with the extra earnings, most people said they would send their kids to high school.
Dionicia’s children are all good readers; they proved it each evening, reading to us and correcting our Spanish. Education for the children is a clear priority. But for most families in this region, the bus ride and fees for high school are beyond their budgets. In response, CECOCAFEN has developed a scholarship fund. As the Fair Trade market grows, these farmers hope to be able to sell all of their coffee at Fair Trade prices, rather than having to sell a portion on the conventional market.
“I carry home from my experience in Nicaragua,” said Beth, “greater understanding of the importance of empowerment not only for rural people in developing nations, but also for those of us living in North America. As families in Nicaragua continue the struggle to better their situation, American workers face the loss of jobs and access to health care. We must learn to work cooperatively. While the global economic situation continues to swing in favor of enormous corporate interests, we will find another path.”
“It inspires me to see such a positive cooperative model,” Beth continued. “My hope grows as I see more folks here forming coops, and participating in fair business practices. More and more, I see that the work we do to protect ourselves from powerful corporate interests and the work we do to protect our international neighbors is one in the same.”
Community Caravan
Spring is well under way and Café Campesino hasn’t slowed down one bit. We have several upcoming events and if any of you are attending, let us know!!
This month, we’ll be back serving up coffee and morning snacks at the B.R.A.G. Spring Tune-Up, April 16-18 (http://www.brag.org). Geoffrey and J., of Koinonia Partners, (http://www.koinoniapartners.org) will be serving coffee to the sleepy masses in Milledgeville. If you’re interested in trying the week-long B.R.A.G. ride in June, consider warming up your bike legs in with us in Milledgeville.
The next weekend will find us in Atlanta at the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s 16th Annual Conference & Exhibition. From April 23-26, we will be sharing a booth with Larry’s Beans and Bongo Java Roasting Co., fellow members of Cooperative Coffees (http://www.cooperativecoffees.com). Cooperative Coffees will also be represented, and we’ll be serving up fair trade coffee, in both regular and espresso. If you’ll be in Atlanta that weekend, be sure to stop by the Georgia World Congress Center and say hello!
Community Caravan
With spring beginning, Café Campesino is diving headfirst into a full schedule, with coffee festivals, conventions, bike rides and more! We’ve never been complacent when it comes to spreading the word about our excellent coffee, and we’re chomping at the bit to introduce more people to the great idea (and great taste) that is Fair Trade.
From March 19-21, our roaster Lee will be in Washington, D.C., at this springs’s CoffeeFest. CoffeeFest Trade Shows are held three times a year, in D.C., Las Vegas, and Seattle. Each CoffeeFest is a complete industry-wide trade show, with invaluable educational programming, Free-Pour Latte Art Competition, new product showcase, opening night reception, incredible special attractions and tremendous networking opportunities. It’ll be a terrific opportunity for Lee to see the latest products available and network with peers.
This year, as in past years, Café Campesino’s coffee will be served at Greenprints 2004, March 18-19, at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta. Co-hosted by our long-time customer Southface Energy Institute, Greenprints brings together practitioners and visionaries committed to changing the way people think about architecture, planning and the use of natural resources.
Next month, we’ll be back serving up coffee and morning snacks at the B.R.A.G. Spring Tune-Up, April 16-18 (www.brag.org). Geoffrey and Victoria will be serving coffee to the sleepy masses in Milledgeville. If you’re interested in trying the week-long B.R.A.G. ride in June, consider warming up your bike legs with us in Milledgeville, GA.
The next weekend will see us in Atlanta at the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s 16th Annual Conference & Exhibition. From April 23-26, we will be sharing a booth with Larry’s Beans (www.larrysbeans.com) and Bongo Java Roasting Co. (www.bongojava.com), fellow members of Cooperative Coffees (www.cooperativecoffees.com). Cooperative Coffees will also be represented, and we’ll be serving up Fair Trade coffee, in both regular and espresso. If you’ll be in Atlanta that weekend, be sure to stop by the Georgia World Congress Center and say hello!
In addition to these events, Café Campesino has signed on to join many other local Sumter County businesses in the Partnership in Education plan with Sumter County Schools. Every couple of weeks, we’ll be going out to the schools to talk about Fair Trade and environmental issues. We’re very excited to have this opportunity to bring knowledge of the Fair Trade movement to the youth of our community!