Monday, November 26, 2001


time to get off my high horse don't you think?

but before i do so, i thought i'd pass along a link sent to me by faithful reader eliahu. he is a supporter of the so-called fair trade program, and suggested i take a look at cafe direct, a purveyor of organic and fair trade coffees in the uk market. eliahu suggests that fair trade may be the solution to both the current coffee and cocoa crises i've mentioned previously.

fair trade does have its critics -- some small producers say that participating requires too much expensive paperwork, a few contend that the quality of fair trade products is lower, and others argue that the fair trade movement is so small a player in the vast commodities market that it is doomed to fail. i certainly am not capable of judging the merits of any of these arguments in general. but for those of you who are interested, you may want to search locally for fair trade products. even starbucks sells fair trade beans nowadays, as does peets.

so if you are interested in the fair trade idea, it's easy for you as a consumer to find a fair trade coffee near you.

posted by fortune | 10:15 AM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 0 comments