Seattle Post-Intelligencer
November 22, 2001
By Kathy Mulady

Although some of the country's biggest coffee roasters and sellers have recently received attention for buying "fair-trade" coffee, an increasing number of small coffee businesses are also buying beans that guarantee coffee farmers will be paid a livable wage.

Nearly 300,000 pounds of fair-trade coffee has been sold in Washington state in the past year.

"We sell more fair-trade coffee in a month than Starbucks sells in a year," said Tom Hanlon-Wilde, West coast sales manager for Equal Exchange, which wholesales coffee beans to small roasters, grocery stores and cafes.

Nina Luttinger, communications manager for TransFair USA, an Oakland, Calif., organization that certifies fair-trade coffee, said that in the coming year, more than half its certified product will be bought by smaller roasters.

Although many Seattle grocery stores, large and small, include fair-trade coffee among their selections, none sells as much as the Green Lake PCC Natural Foods. The store recently received recognition for selling more fair-trade coffee than any other retailer in the state, about 800 pounds a month.

"Our sales have definitely increased," said Chris Jordan, the Green Lake store's grocery coordinator. The co-op has sold fair-trade-certified coffee for about two years.

"We believe in it. We think people should get a living wage for the work they do," Jordan said. "A lot of our shoppers see the fair-trade label and want to buy it, plus it is good coffee."

Efforts by TransFair USA and Equal Exchange have increased consumer awareness of struggling coffee farmers.

Although consumers spend $8 to $12 for a pound of specialty-roast coffee, farmers receive only a fraction of that for their raw beans. Fair-trade certification guarantees farmers $1.26 per pound for their coffee.

Specialty-coffee bean buyers often pay far more than that base price, but without a guarantee that the extra money will go to farmers, it often goes to middlemen.

Dozens of retailers and coffee shops offer fair-trade coffee in the Seattle area. Some promote the issue enthusiastically; others keep it quiet.

David Schomer at Espresso Vivace serves only fair-trade coffee, roasting the beans in the cafe's own roasters.

"For those of us in pursuit of pure-quality coffee, the fair trade and sustainability are built in. You can't have excellence without paying for good labor and having good environmental practices," he said.

He doesn't promote the fair-trade aspect of his coffee.

"I want to sell people a good cup of coffee without belaboring the issues. People come here to enjoy coffee, relax and escape a little," Schomer said.

But Schomer said his wife has visited farms where their coffee is grown and verified for herself that working conditions were sound.

Bulldog News, which has two cafes in the University District, has brewed fair-trade coffee for years.

"With coffee prices going up and down, the important thing is that the grower is guaranteed a price at the beginning of the season," Bulldog owner Doug Campbell said.

"Fair-trade coffee was our initiative, and our customers support it because we provide them with a high-quality cup of coffee," Campbell said.

Fair-trade coffee is also going to church.

Pura Vida, based in Seattle, sells its gourmet roasted coffee mainly to churches and Bible stores, donating the profits to help children in Costa Rica.

The company recently expanded its line of fair-trade coffees.

"We really believe in great coffee for a great cause," said Lisa Goss, marketing manager for Pura Vida. "Church is a place where people drink coffee."

Pura Vida coffee can also be bought online. So far, the company has raised about $150,000 for its Costa Rican cause.

Greg Forsyth, chief operating officer at Pura Vida, said the company supports fair-trade certification because of the clear paper trail that assures the money they pay for the beans is reaching the farmers.