Brewing aid through java

About half of the coffee in the world is grown by small farmers, much of it in Latin America, but middlemen known as "coyotes" often take the lion's share of the profit. An independent farmer may get 45 cents for a pound of coffee sold through an intermediary, while fair-trade coffee sells for about $1.29 a pound, with the farmer keeping the profit.

That cost difference enables small farmers to keep their jobs and land, and to use organic growing methods that don't damage the environment. Profits from fair-trade coffee sales have also helped South and Central American villages to build homes and send children to school.

Order of coffee

Sister Kay Ryan, CSJ, a member of the sisters' leadership team, said her order had been looking at how their decisions affect people in Third World countries. After learning that buying fair-trade coffee would help struggling farmers survive, she told The Evangelist, "We came back and said, `Let's do it!'"

All of the St. Joseph sisters in the order's "lake region" -- including Erie, Baden, Buffalo, Rochester, Ogdensburg and Albany -- agreed to take part in the project.

Sipping sisters

"In order to do this, we chose not to go to a national conference," explained Sister Kay, adding: "It wasn't about the coffee. It was about making sure the grower received a just wage."

She said the change -- begun this month -- is part of the order's social justice efforts, which also include making sure that any materials used at events the sisters hold are not produced in sweatshops.

Parish brew

Paired off years ago with a "sister parish" in San Pedro Jocopilas, Guatemala, St. Mary's often holds fundraisers and sends the profits to the struggling church. Among those events is a monthly coffee sale.

"They are just so horribly poor," Joan Everitt, co-chair of the parish's Building Bridges program, said of the San Pedro Catholics. "Their church was destroyed during the civil war. They're fixing it up little by little. This [coffee sale] enables us to send money to San Pedro."

Global links

St. Mary's pays $5.50 per 17-ounce bag of ground or whole-bean coffee and sells it for $7 a bag. The difference is sent to San Pedro.

That process means that the profits from fair-trade coffee sales benefit two Guatemalan parishes: San Lucas Toliman, which sells it, and San Pedro, which gets the profits from St. Mary's sales.

Keep the change

She noted that since it comes directly from the growers, the coffee is of much better quality than most U.S. coffee drinkers usually experience.

"It's excellent, excellent coffee," she stated. "Most of the coffee we get in the U.S. is the dregs. Everyone says this is absolutely wonderful."

(St. Mary's parish in Crescent holds its coffee sales on the third weekend of each month. Decaf coffee is not available. For information on buying fair-trade coffee through the parish, call 371-9632. The Sisters of St. Joseph buy their fair-trade coffee through two sources: Equal Exchange -- www.equalexchange.com or 781-830-0303, ext. 228; and TransFair USA -- www.transfairusa.org or 510-663-5260. Decaf coffee is available.)

(07-11-02) [[In-content Ad]]