The UCC Coffee Project means that your congregation can partner with UCC Justice and Witness Ministries and Equal Exchange in building fair trade for small farming communities by serving fairly traded coffee, tea and cocoa, and chocolate, nuts, and fruit snacks for justice at fellowship hour on Sundays.
The UCC Coffee Project is a way for your congregation to join hands with communities in the developing world. As Christians we can address a consumer dilemma by buying coffee and other commodities that are fairly traded. Through the project, small farmers and their families gain more control over their lives, earn a fairer share of income, have access to credit and technical support, and gain a trading partner they can trust, a fair trade organization called Equal Exchange. And, through the project, members of your congregation can learn about consumption habits that support small scale farmers and workers throughout the world and encourage careful stewardship of God's creation. At fellowship hour, you will be taking action in a spirit of love.
On the blog, Small Farmers. Big Change. Equal Exchange has launched a serious discussion about the challenges posed when companies seek Fair Trade certification. In the June 10 blog, Phyllis Robinson, Equal Exchange's Education and Campaigns Coordinator, explores "Dilemmas of a Fair Trade Banana Enthusiast." Fair trade has traditionally involved partnership with small farmers and coops. That is the Equal Exchange model. What does it mean when plantations and even huge multinationals seek fair trade certification? Robinson shares candidly the moral choices posed for coop-based companies like Equal Exchange and for the consumer.
Coffee Chronicles: The UCC Coffee Project Newsletter
What's Brewing at Equal Exchange?
A bitter cup? Facts about coffee
Fair Trade Standards and Equal Exchange
How to Be Part of the UCC Coffee Project
Important Additional Information
To Order... or direct questions to Equal Exchange
Coffee Chronicles: The UCC Coffee Project Newsletter Thanks, Mike Rowe, for producing this informative publication!!
Coffee Chronicles, #4, Winter 2010. Check out moving stories of participants in delegations to Chiapas and a link to Equal Exchange's blog on issues in fair trade.
Coffee Chronicles, Issue 3 Here is the new, Summer 2009 issue. Check out reports on fairly traded products available for your church, the story of Katie Simenson's experience on the Equal Exchange immersion trip to Chiapas, and a reflection on the price set for fair trade coffee.
Coffee Chronicles: Issue #2 Read about the "Battle of the Beans" among several New Jersey congregations competing for Fair Trade sales records, about the history of Fair Trade and Fair Trade certification, and about the Holy Joe's Cafe coffee ministry. Rev. Wally Ryan-Kuroiwa, team leader on our Cleveland staff and advocate for global economic justice also answers six key questions about the UCC Coffee Project. This publication is created by Mike Rowe, Justice and Witness Ministries Board Member with a passion for justice and Fair Trade.
Coffee Chronicles: Talkin' Coffee and Other Fair Trade Products, Issue I, is the electronic newsletter of the UCC Coffee Project. Check out this first, February 2008, issue on-line for news of immersion trips to coffee growing regions, news of a congregation joining the UCC Coffee Project, and just news of how your congregation can get involved.
What's Brewing at Equal Exchange? Link to Equal Exchange fair trade newsletter.
A bitter cup? Facts about coffee 
- Coffee is one of the most heavily traded commodities in the world.
- Americans drink approximately 320 million cups of coffee every day?20 percent of the world's total coffee production.
- Some 20 million people near the equator depend on coffee for their livelihood, but for many the coffee trade keeps them trapped in poverty. With little access to markets, farmers often sell through middlemen who offer the lowest price possible. With world coffee prices in constant flux, farmers have no guarantee of how much they will receive for their crop.
Fair Trade Standards and Equal Exchange
Equal Exchange Coffee is a worker-owned fair trade company, founded in 1986, that offers consumers fairly traded gourmet coffee direct from small-scale farmer co-ops in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Equal Exchange seeks to establish an alternative model of trade, one that benefits small farmers directly through the following fair trade standards that apply to all Equal Exchange products:
- Always pay a guaranteed minimum price to the farmer.
- Work directly with democratic cooperatives of small scale farmers.
- Provide vital advance credit to farmers.
- Encourage ecologically sustainable farming practices.
- Develop long-term trade relations based on trust and respect.
- Offer consumers the finest gourmet, certified organic, shade-grown coffees.
How to Be Part of the UCC Coffee Project
- Serve fair trade coffee, tea and cocoa at fellowship hour, church events, in the office and at home.
- Design congregational fund raising projects featuring fairly traded coffee, tea, and cocoa. Give fair trade gift baskets as thank you gifts.
- Order educational resources along with your coffee and make space and time in your congregation for conversation about justice in the global economy.
- Encourage other places of worship or businesses in your community to partner with Equal Exchange's Interfaith Coffee Project.
Important Additional Information
To Order... or direct questions to Equal Exchange
For more information about the UCC Coffee Project, go on line to Equal Exchange's Interfaith Coffee Program at equalexchange.com/interfaith/, or e-mail interfaith@equalexchange.com, or call 774-776-7366.
Order directly at store.yahoo.com/equalexchange or download a UCC Coffee Project Order Form directly from Equal Exchange.
Orde
r a UCC Coffee Project Travel Mug for $2.00 using the purchase code 46455.
Direct questions about the UCC Coffee Project to UCC Justice and Witness Ministries by phone at 866-822-8224 or e-mail at coffee@ucc.org.
Looking for information about the Holy Joe's Cafe Iraq War Coffee House Military Chaplain Ministry?
