CRS enters new Fair Trade partnership

Social justice news
February 2007

CRS enters new Fair Trade partnership
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CRS enters new Fair Trade partnership
Imagine working all year to plant, harvest and process coffee, then earning just a few cents from each cup of that coffee sold in the United States. Most people would say that’s not fair. Fair Trade coffee guarantees disadvantaged coffee farmers a fair price for their product. And now Catholics and other socially conscious coffee-lovers in the Spokane metropolitan area have the opportunity to purchase Fair Trade coffee through a partnership announced today between Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Nectar of Life, a 100-percent Fair Trade company based near Spokane.

As part of the new partnership, CRS and Nectar of Life are encouraging Catholics in the region to serve Fair Trade coffee in their homes, parishes, schools and offices; to sell it as a fundraiser; and to give it as a gift. “Catholics in eastern Washington have participated actively in the CRS Fair Trade Program for years,” said Michael Sheridan, Senior Advisor for Economic Justice at Catholic Relief Services. “Now, with Nectar of Life’s addition to our network of partners, they can continue to support Fair Trade while also being a socially responsible company in their community.”

As a CRS partner, Nectar of Life contributes a percentage of all sales it makes through the program to the CRS Fair Trade Fund to support the agency’s work on behalf of disadvantaged artisans and farmers around the world. In addition, Nectar of Life will continue to contribute $1 to the Fair Trade Fund from the sale of each bag of its "Nectar Ice" coffee – a roast specially formulated for brewing iced coffee. For more details about the partnership, please visit www.crsfairtrade.org and www.nectaroflife.com.

What is Fair Trade Coffee?
Fair Trade coffee is relationship coffee. It connects socially conscious consumers in the United States with disadvantaged coffee farmers overseas through companies like Nectar of Life that are committed to using the market as a force for change. Nectar of Life sells exclusively organic coffee that is Fair Trade Certified by TransFair USA, an independent, third party certification agency which guarantees that the family farmers who grew your coffee were paid a fair price. Fair Trade farmers who grow their crops with sustainable organic farming practices are paid a premium above the Fair Trade minimum.

According to TransFair USA, U.S. coffee consumers drank 108 million cups of coffee yesterday and spent about $22 billion last year on coffee. U.S. retail sales of Fair Trade Certified coffee grew from less than $50 million in 2000, to nearly $500 million in 2005. Fair Trade Certified coffee is also the fastest growing segment of the U.S. specialty coffee market, with Fair Trade Certified green coffee imports growing at an average of nearly 75 percent a year since 1999.

Fair prices mean quality products. By receiving a fair price, Fair Trade producers can avoid cost-cutting practices that sacrifice quality. The Fair Trade producers' traditional farming methods result in exceptional products.

Fair Trade also means care for the environment. Most Fair Trade Certified coffee, tea and chocolate in the United States is certified organic and shade grown. This means they maintain biodiversity, provide shelter for migratory birds and help reduce global warming.

The CRS Fair Trade Fund and Coffee
Nectar of Life’s contribution to the CRS Fair Trade Fund will help expand the market for Fair Trade, organic and shade-grown coffee in the United States. To date, the Fair Trade Fund has awarded over $200,000 in grants, including many to coffee cooperatives overseas:

• Nicaragua—CRS constructs coffee tasting or “cupping” laboratories vital to quality control;

• Guatemala—CRS invests in infrastructure to help indigenous women roast and package coffee more efficiently;

• Bolivia—CRS funded a national Fair Trade coffee quality competition; and

• Mexico—CRS invests in infrastructure to strengthen coffee supply chain and to support expansion of innovative farmer-owned coffee company.

In 2006, CRS helped to generate more than $1 million in Fair Trade sales through its Fair Trade Program, which also includes chocolate and handcrafts.

For more information on the CRS Fair Trade Coffee Program or Nectar of Life Coffee, please visit www.crsfairtrade.org or www.nectaroflife.com .

Catholic Relief Services is the official international relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic community. We assist people in more than 99 countries based on need, not race, creed or nationality.

Nectar of Life is a high-end wholesale gourmet organic coffee roaster specializing in shade grown, certified Fair Trade, organic coffees. We believe that only by purchasing certified Fair Trade organic coffees we can help preserve our environment, society and human rights.

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