Fair trade events culminate with big coffee break, film
By Nick Grabbe
Staff Writer
Published on May 09, 2008
Events in Northampton and Amherst this week will seek to convince coffee-drinkers and chocoholics to consider the price that farmers get for their products.
The "fair trade" campaign will climax Saturday with what organizers call "the world's largest coffee break" at eight locations in Amherst and three in Northampton. They are seeking to join with others around the country in breaking a world record for the most people involved in a coffee break.
"Chocolate Country," a 30-minute film about cacao farmers in the Dominican Republic, will be shown Friday at 7 p.m. at the Media Education Foundation at 60 Masonic St., Northampton, and Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Amherst Cinema. The producers are Jill Higgins and Joe Blotnick, of Northampton, and the film was made when they were Peace Corps volunteers in the Dominican Republic.
Dean Cycon of Dean's Beans is expected to announce the first long-term contract between a farm cooperative and a fair-trade roaster Thursday at an event with live South American music from 8 to 10 p.m. at the Black Sheep Deli at 79 Main St., Amherst.
Northampton joined Amherst last month in meeting the criteria for being a "fair trade town." About 28 businesses in Northampton carry fair trade products, said organizer Alexandra Mello, of Whately.
"Behind every product, there's a human being producing it, and if you want to be helpful in the world, this is an easy way to do so while you're already following your daily purchase practices," she said.
Northampton Fair Trade plans to give away 2,000 small chocolate bars made by Divine, a fair-trade brand, Mello said. The group seeks to increase awareness of the issue and politely encourage businesses to carry fair-trade products, she said.
Fair trade usually means that merchants take into account farmers' costs of production and cost of living when deciding what price to pay for their products. There is a process for certification of fair trade goods, principally coffee and chocolate but also tea, bananas and crafts.
Yuri Friman, of Amherst, said he visited a fair trade coffee grower in Peru last year and saw the benefits of the increased money. He is seeking to form a "sister city" relationship with the town and encourage Amherst residents to visit.
Friman said if people are educated about fair trade products, most will buy them.
"I'm not trying to convince people," he said. "Either a person cares about the situation outside his own yard or he doesn't, and I talk to people who care and just ask them to spend a few extra cents."
Flayvors of Cook Farm in Hadley has joined with a local coffee roaster to produce a fair trade ice cream that will be given away at many locations in Amherst Saturday.
A group of students at the University of Massachusetts has also been working on fair trade issues. Senior Rebecca Speert said she spent five nights at a coffee cooperative in Peru.
"If people were more aware of the poverty they're contributing to, they'd be more willing to help fix the problem," Speert said. "People are unfamiliar with the poor conditions that mainstream coffee farmers are dealing with."
