tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post9170793701269370546..comments2024-02-29T00:19:36.582-08:00Comments on The Coffee Heretic: Fair Trade BetrayalMark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-14981932123175068932012-08-22T07:57:14.196-07:002012-08-22T07:57:14.196-07:00Maybe it's time to look at change in a wider c...Maybe it's time to look at change in a wider context and work out what FT's role is in the wider transition the world is going through. Fair Trade doesn't exist all on its own, there are 10s of 1000 of other organisations who share the same values but do something different. By coming together we could develop scale without losing diversity really offer a platform for transformation never seen before. I'd like to think-tank that one. hostuniversalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05753597249481856558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-38940560430162233322012-08-20T13:33:37.139-07:002012-08-20T13:33:37.139-07:00Thanks for covering important issues and history. ...Thanks for covering important issues and history. I would love to see fair trade folks grapple with the issue of how to change the marketplace. Is the small is beautiful approach enough? How will it go from its tiny niche status to change the way all things are traded? Or, less pie in the sky, how do we go from less than 1% of the US coffee trade to 100%? What happens if we stay 1%?<br /><br />I am deeply disturbed by the way FTUSA has acted. Their unilateral actions are, for me, arrogant and destructive. Yet, I do think they are grappling with how to best leverage massive change. And, while I have long argued with Paul Rice about theories of change, I agree with him on one point: the activist part of fair trade has not developed a theory of change that deals with the majority of the market. And therefore, deals with the majority of coffee produced and sold.<br /><br />The tension between the marketplace and these ideals is huge and challenging. Let us not leave the choices to be top down colonial approach or tiny democratic approach.<br /><br />And, I believe that FTUSA no longer cares much about the “movement.” They are looking to engage the corporations of the world. Activists were useful in the early phases of label building. They are now moving beyond that phase and have less and less use for us. <br /><br />I hope we can learn from the US Democratic Party that allowing others to define the terms of debate is a weak strategy.<br /><br />I urge us all to develop new approaches that do develop this kind of macro view. I continue to think there must be better ways to transform the whole marketplace that stay true to our values of inclusion, transparency and maximum justice possible.Jonathan Rosenthalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00555463331894142628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-38248867736250855082012-08-20T13:02:46.016-07:002012-08-20T13:02:46.016-07:00Hey there,
Great thought provoking article-- than...Hey there,<br /><br />Great thought provoking article-- thanks for putting it out there.<br /><br />I do want to point out that the Co-op Coffees network itself did not pull out of the TFUSA system in 2004. Four individual roasters in the CC network (Just Coffee Co-op, Cafe Campesino, Dean's Beans, and Larry's Beans) did leave at that time. However, the importing co-op stayed officially a licensee as many of its other members did not want to leave the label.<br /><br />Thanks again for your work and your analysis. I agree with Renee' that there is room for different approaches in fair trade, but we should be very clear about how they break down and what our motivations are within the movement/market.<br /><br />Take care!<br /><br />Matt Earley<br />Co-founder, Just Coffee CooperativeAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05579527021328059394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-75648971356581773792012-08-20T12:58:19.401-07:002012-08-20T12:58:19.401-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05579527021328059394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-61210542831899082552012-08-09T07:26:35.498-07:002012-08-09T07:26:35.498-07:00Mark,
Thank you for this excellent and informativ...Mark,<br /><br />Thank you for this excellent and informative summary of the evolution of fair trade coffee. I particularly appreciate your distinction between two visions of fair trade – a “do no harm” model of improving wages and working conditions in the Global South, and a model that seeks to transform trade relationships. Certainly these two models can and do co-exist, and we should continue to talk about the role that each model plays within fair trade.<br /> <br />As you mention, the Fair Trade Federation supports organizations like Cooperative Coffees that have made the well being of marginalized producers their primary concern. By doing so, these companies seek to transform the conventional buyer-seller interaction; they create open contracts, honor long term relationships, and support democratically organized cooperatives. This is a high bar that not everyone chooses – and we’re proud that our members have reached it. <br /><br />The fair trade movement must grow, and it must grow with integrity. Thanks for your contributions to the conversation. <br /><br />-Renee Bowers, Executive Director<br />Fair Trade FederationAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com