Hey, wake up! It’s National Coffee Day. So If you love coffee, raise your mug! And if you support fair trade coffee…well, we have a lot to talk about.
Whether it’s tall, grande, venti, with extra shots, with whip, made by baristas, or filtered through a paper towel and poured into a cracked mug with shaking hands at 6am, we’re big fans of coffee; but in today’s world, it’s important to us that our favorite brew is grown and harvested humanely.
Keep reading for some lovely ways to enjoy cruelty-free coffee.
When we found the amazing SlaveryFootprint.org we were utterly floored to see the damage many store-brand coffees do to the environment and humanity. According to my home, family, and belongings, I apparently own 39 slaves, which makes me sick to my stomach. Coffee is often grown in developing countries where workers live in poverty, farmers are barely compensated, and sometimes children are used for labor.
That’s why we want to celebrate coffee that offers a fair wage to workers, supports ethical farming practices, and helps develop the communities and environments in which the beans are grown. Here are a few of our favorite ways to enjoy a pick-me-up that helps pick up the world a little, too.
Safi Coffee
provides a high-quality bean that’s organic, fairly traded, and has a
lovely undercurrent of vanilla. They even involve their Kenyan farmers
as stakeholders.
provides a high-quality bean that’s organic, fairly traded, and has a
lovely undercurrent of vanilla. They even involve their Kenyan farmers
as stakeholders.
Buy a bag of One Cup gourmet coffee for $11, and they’ll donate $11 to fund social and economic change in Zambia.
If you’re in Georgia like me, you might have passed Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee Company.
This coffee roaster and cafe ships a wide range of coffee flavors and
roasts worldwide and guarantees beans that are 100% Arabica, fairly
traded, and freshly roasted–plus, they help Rwandan farmers rebuild
their war-torn homeland.
This coffee roaster and cafe ships a wide range of coffee flavors and
roasts worldwide and guarantees beans that are 100% Arabica, fairly
traded, and freshly roasted–plus, they help Rwandan farmers rebuild
their war-torn homeland.
As you probably know, even crowd fave Starbucks is headed in the direction of fair trade and organic, with over 86% of last year’s beans purchased from fair-trade certified sources. They’re not 100% yet, but that’s a heck of a start for a major global franchise Next time you’re in there, why not request more organics?
Turns out all espresso drinks at Dunkin’ Donuts are fair-trade, too including espresso, latte, cappuccino, and all their caramel-y variations. In fact they were the first national brand to sell espresso drinks all with exclusively 100% certified fair trade beans.
If you’re a Keurig junkie, there are more than a dozen options for fair trade K-cups from brands like Timothy’s, Green Mountain, Wolfgang Puck and more.
Coffee, sometimes you’re the only reason we’re awake, and we raise our mugs to salute you. May you always be hot, fresh, and doing good in the world. –Delilah
Happy National Coffee Day! And don’t miss these six recipes for delicious iced coffee drinks at home. It’s a reader favorite.
(That adorable Know Your Coffees poster is by artist Kate Moore, and personally, I’m feeling the white mocha vibe today.)
It’s cool how the ethically sourced coffee tends to taste the best.