2008 Woodie Awards
Debunking Bucks County Coffee's Fair Trade Guise
Nadia Schafer
Issue date: 10/2/08 Section: Opinion
A few years ago, Messiah College Dining Services served Starbucks coffee on campus-in Lottie, the Falcon, the Union-everywhere. But students, convinced of the benefits of fair trade and discouraged by Starbucks' less-than-exemplary business and human rights record, protested and fought hard to bring Green Mountain Coffee Company to campus instead. Green Mountain, while not 100% fair trade, supports fair trade practices with 30% of its coffee.
This past year, students and the Student Government Association decided that Green Mountain coffee just wasn't good coffee. Although some students attributed the disagreeable taste to the coffee's preparation--rather than the coffee itself-- SGA looked into a number of new vendors from which to buy our college's coffee supply, one of which was Bucks County Coffee Company (BCCC). According to Chris Colon, SGA President for the 2007-2008 school year, BCCC was chosen because their coffee met taste expectations, it was a local business, they were flexible and willing to work with the college, and because they bought some of their coffee fair trade.
But is it fair trade? Not really. BCCC sells 47 varieties of coffee, two of which are fair trade. Messiah supposedly brews these fair trade blends at similar rates to the other ones. However, I've filled my coffee cup twice at the Falcon, once in the Union, a couple times at Lottie- not to mention regular fill-ups at the Philadelphia Campus last semester- and not once did I have the option of drinking fair trade coffee (if it doesn't say "fair trade" on the label, it's not). Anyone studying in a social science department could tell you this isn't the best sampling method for research, but it is troubling nonetheless.
According to Mark Wirtz, Director of Dining Services, the college wishes to support the fair trade process, but will only buy and brew the fair trade coffee varieties at the same rate students and staff drink it-a supply and demand approach. But how can I support the wonderful practice of fair trade if no one is brewing it in the first place?
This past year, students and the Student Government Association decided that Green Mountain coffee just wasn't good coffee. Although some students attributed the disagreeable taste to the coffee's preparation--rather than the coffee itself-- SGA looked into a number of new vendors from which to buy our college's coffee supply, one of which was Bucks County Coffee Company (BCCC). According to Chris Colon, SGA President for the 2007-2008 school year, BCCC was chosen because their coffee met taste expectations, it was a local business, they were flexible and willing to work with the college, and because they bought some of their coffee fair trade.
But is it fair trade? Not really. BCCC sells 47 varieties of coffee, two of which are fair trade. Messiah supposedly brews these fair trade blends at similar rates to the other ones. However, I've filled my coffee cup twice at the Falcon, once in the Union, a couple times at Lottie- not to mention regular fill-ups at the Philadelphia Campus last semester- and not once did I have the option of drinking fair trade coffee (if it doesn't say "fair trade" on the label, it's not). Anyone studying in a social science department could tell you this isn't the best sampling method for research, but it is troubling nonetheless.
According to Mark Wirtz, Director of Dining Services, the college wishes to support the fair trade process, but will only buy and brew the fair trade coffee varieties at the same rate students and staff drink it-a supply and demand approach. But how can I support the wonderful practice of fair trade if no one is brewing it in the first place?
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