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The observance of Human
Rights Day on Tuesday prompted thoughts of justice in the
coffee lands, particularly in East Timor, one of our
newest origins. So in this issue of Fair Grounds, we offer
a brief overview of the still volatile political situation
in the world's newest country. We also feature a very
informative article on sustainable development from our
friends Nate Wayman and Nubia Perez. And we've got a
recipe for coffee eggnog (yum) that is sure to put you in
the holiday mood. Enjoy - and have a cool (and safe) Yule!
(Back
to Headlines)
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Last
month we introduced our latest fairly traded, organic
coffee — East Timor Dark Roast. Several readers wanted
to know more about the history of and the challenges
facing the Timorese.
On
May 20, 2002, East Timor became the world's newest
country, following the landslide victory of independence
hero Xanana Gusmao in the long-awaited presidential
elections held in April. The country's road to
independence, however, was long and exceptionally
difficult.
Though
Chinese and Japanese traders had visited the island in the
13th century the Portuguese were the first to establish a
settlement, in 1509. Portuguese Timor was ruled by a
traditional system of local chiefs acting as agents for
the colonizers, but in the 20th century, Portugal assumed
more direct control over the island. In the mid-seventies,
however, instability in the Portuguese government gave
Indonesia the opportunity to invade East Timor.
Read
about the Indonesian invasion and hard-fought independence
for East
Timor.
(Back
to Headlines)
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by
Nubia Perez and Nate Wayman
The
coffee industry may finally be catching on! This month’s
coffee industry journal – Tea and Coffee –
features an article entitled, "Peeling back the
Layers of Global Sustainability." The cover of the
Specialty Coffee Associations bi-monthly Chronicle
leads with the article "Roads to
Sustainability." Our prolific Fair Grounds writers
Nate Wayman and Nubia Perez examine this concept of
sustainable, grassroots development and the fair trade
model.
What
exactly is sustainable development? For the past
decade or so, it's been a buzzword phrase for
environmentalists, developers, economists, government
officials and social workers. However, wrapping our minds
around the concept and more importantly, determining how
it can be put into practice can be rather complicated.
The
United Nations World Commission on Environment and
Development defines sustainable development as
"meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs." Another perhaps more accessible way
to think of it is that sustainable development is about
"ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now
and for generations to come." In essence, sustainable
development is one generation's gift to the next.
The
concept of sustainable development is central to Café
Campesino's mission as a company. The fair trade model of
coffee production and distribution that we embrace is
directly concerned with sustainability on both the
environmental and human levels. By working directly with
small-scale farmer cooperatives, we're able to ensure that
coffee is grown in an ecologically sound fashion, without
the use of pesticides or other chemicals. Also, by
receiving a substantially higher-than-market price for
their coffee, the farmers are better able to meet the
needs of their families, whether through increased
educational opportunities or healthier homes and villages.
Now let’s take a look at the specific role of
communities in effective sustainability.
Read
about the role community plays in sustainable development
projects and more by clicking here.
(Back
to Headlines)
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Want to send someone you love the taste of Fair Trade this
Christmas? December 15th is the last day to order from Café
Campesino for guaranteed delivery by Christmas using our
flat rate $3.95 UPS Ground plan. After that, we can still
get your order to its destination, but you're shipping
options will be limited (and more expensive). So order
today!
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We're
giving away coffee!
Think
you know a lot about coffee? Then enter our Fair
Grounds Trivia Contest. Click
here for our question of the month. Entering is easy
and it's FUN!
We
selected our winner to last month's trivia contest the old
fashioned way. We put all of the names into a handmade
Café Campesino Gift Basket, mixed them all up, reached in
and pulled out our winner. Congratulations go to — Jane
Brann!
(Back
to Headlines)
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"If
you want peace, work for justice."
—
Pope Paul XI
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