McGill Tribune, McGill University
March 27, 2001
By Michelle O'Brodovich

Ah coffee -- that wonderful black swill loved by students and professionals alike. Every morning it tempts you with promises of good mood and energy -- a warm caffeine-filled hug to help you get started on your day. It is the second most valuable, globally-traded commodity behind petroleum and it employs over 20 million farmers and workers in over 50 countries.

Especially after pulling an all-night study session with good ol' Joe by your side, it seems there is nothing that coffee can't do. But can buying certain types of coffee actually make the world a better place? Advocates of fair trade coffee certainly seem to think so.

Fair trade coffee is a concept that emerged four years ago in Quebec under the title "Un Just Cafe," asserts the fair trade McGill Web site.

The campaign was initiated by a social change group called Equiterre as a means for dealing with the inequalities of the global coffee exchange where small coffee farmers are dependent on middlemen referred to as "coyotes" for transportation and credit for their product.

"It's a vicious cycle," says McGill University management professor Louis Chauvin. "The coyote has the trucks and gets the beans to market as well as lending the small farmers money... [the farmers] tend to live in isolated areas, speak only local languages and are very dependent on the coyotes. The interest rates [the coyotes charge] range from 20 to 60 percent and the farmers are paid ridiculous prices for their coffee."

According to fair trade McGill, an Students Society of McGill University organization affiliated with Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG), fair trade coffee helps the small farmers by eliminating the "coyotes." Buyers instead do their business directly with the small farmers' cooperatives. Purchasers of fair trade coffee have to fulfill several criteria, such as direct trade with the farmers, a long-term commitment of between one and 10 years, as well as support for initiatives concerning democratic management of the cooperatives, education and the environment. Perhaps most importantly, the buyer is responsible for providing credit to the farmers at the beginning of the growing season, up to 60 percent of the value of the contracted crop. This job was previously filled by the middlemen.

So Who's Guzzling?

Does this mean that now you can enjoy your morning buzz surrounded in an altruistic glow of smugness? Maybe not. In fact, according to Transfair Canada, the organization responsible for the labeling of fair trade coffee, though 30 percent of consumers say they are willing to pay extra for justice, only 5 percent actually do so.

This seems to be the general attitude on campus as well. Though fair trade coffee is sold at many places at McGill, including the Shatner and Bronfman cafeterias, the Architecture Cafe and Sadies, many student consumers of fair trade coffee would not make a special effort to seek it out.

"I'll buy it when I see it," says U2 student Julie Boileau. "It will not change the state of the world ... but if I get a coffee I will choose fair trade coffee."

Sometimes, finding fair trade coffee can be rather difficult. For example, in Shatner cafeteria, only one of the five coffee canisters has the fair trade seal, and it is located in a separate area next to the cash register. Logically, students waiting in line would see the other four canisters first, and not see the fair trade one until after paying.

"I know about [fair trade coffee], but I never see it around," he says, adding that he probably wouldn't buy it even if it was," says U2 student Adam Baxter.

Another possible area of concern with fair trade coffee is the requirements a company must fulfill in order to sport the fair trade logo. The actual percentage bought in order to receive the logo "can be a very small percentage," says Chauvin, adding that including minimal percentages in the buyer's contract are currently being discussed.

Courting The Bucks

A grass roots campaign by Global Exchange recently persuaded Starbucks to incorporate fair trade coffee into 2,300 stores in the United States, with promises of more in the future.

Here at McGill, Fadi Issa, manager at Veggie Rama in the Shatner Cafeteria, added that even if only one person had persistently asked for fair trade coffee he would have supplied it anyway.

"I don't want people to go somewhere else -- that's what we call service," he says.

The power of word-of-mouth in the campaign is evident. When Equiterre first began the "Un Juste Cafe" campaign in 1996, it had only two outlets in the province. Just four years later, the company has over 350 outlets, two importers and 15 roasters. And though the market is small, Transfair Canada argues "this 5 percent is ... a large enough market share to convince manufacturers and retailers to pay a license fee to cover the costs."

Ultimately, the decision whether fair trade coffee is worthwhile is left to the individual. Whether you like your coffee with cream, sugar or political debate, it still does the trick during this time of year.