Whining about Fair Trade....

Ah....after a long day at work, and then two meetings this evening, I feel I completely deserve to enjoy a nice glass of wine. Not just any wine however, certified Fair Trade wine from http://www.doubleupfairtrade.com/. Tonight, as I type this note, I'm sipping some tasty 2009 Los Cowboys Malbec an Argentinan red wine. I'll be honest, I'm more of a beer guy myself - but I'm really enjoying this.

The Manitoba Liquor Marts stores have been carrying Fair Trade wines for a few years now - here is a list of Fair Trade wines they carry I found on-line. Stop by your local shop, buy a bottle and enjoy responsibility!
 

More Fair Trade Activisim....

Last night my wife Erin had a few girl friends over to watch the Oscars. I, out of a sense of self-preservation, did the only thing I could do - I got the heck out of the house for a few hours. I grabbed my laptop and headed to my parent's place for dinner and for a visit.

After dinner my dad, the good Icelander that he is, offered me a cup of coffee, which I was about to accept when it occurred to me to ask whether it was Fair Trade coffee or not. Here's how that conversation went:

Me: Is it Fair Trade Coffee?
Dad: No - I've got Edwards and Nabob.
Me: What do you mean you have no Fair Trade coffee (mock indignation in my voice)
Dad: No fair trade coffee son.
Me: I'm talking the Fair Trade One Month Challenge...I can't drink any of that swill. Only Fair Trade
Dad: Well I guess you're S.O.L. now aren't you? (he didn't use the acronym)
Me: I suppose so. You know dad, you've worked really hard all of your life, scrimped and saved and now you've retired. I think you deserve to splurge a little bit on yourself and get the good stuff. You love coffee - why don't spend the extra couple of bucks a pound and buy high-quality Fair Trade coffee?
Dad: What, are you making commission?
Me: No - but that's the point. Cut out the middle men, get more of the price into the hands of the producers. Come on dad, it would only cost you and extra Nicol a cup.

Okay, so I didn't say the last sentence....but it was added for dramatic purposes upon suggested by my friend Zack...he's so Punny.

I'm going to make my dad watch "Black Gold" - a documentary on Fair Trade and the coffee industry. I've figured out my goal for this challenge. With only a couple of weeks left...I'm going to convert my dad the coffee addict into my dad a Fair Trade coffee addict.

Fair Trade at Starbucks?

Last year during Fair Trade Manitoba's One Month Challenge, I decided to do my little bit of activism and visited the Starbuck's location on the corner of Broadway and Donald to ask for a cup of fair trade coffee. Here is a recount of that event:

SB Employee: Hi there, what can I get for you today?
Me: Hi, do you guys have fair trade coffee? (I know they do - but I'm playing dumb)
SB Employee: Actually all of our coffee is fairly traded.
Me: (Eye roll) - Well that's a matter of opinion. I'm actually looking for certified Fair Trade coffee, you see I'm participating in the Fair Trade Manitoba One Month Challenge and I can only drink certified Fair Trade coffee
SB Employee: (Eye roll) - Our Cafe Estima is certified Fair Trade, however we don't have any of that made.
Me: Oh...well then no, I guess you can't get me anything today. (Exit Duane)

Needless to say, I wasn't impressed with her little corporate ruse - "all of our coffee is fairly traded". I was actually pretty annoyed. It's one thing for them to have their own watered down version of more ethically sourced coffee....but don't try to use a play on words with the intent on deceiving your customer.

Tonight, I found myself at Chapters and decided that I'd re-attempt my activism experiment.

SB Employee: Hi there - how can I help you today?
Me: Do you have any Fair Trade coffees?
SB Employee: We have Cafe Estima but we don't have any made.
Me: Oh, that's too bad. I'm participating in the Fair Trade Manitoba One Month Challenge and I can only drink certified Fair Trade coffees.
SB Employee: Well, if you would like we could French press you a cup?
Me: That would be great - yes I'd like that.

Nicely played Starbucks. Just for that....here's a free plug for your tasty, tasty Cafe Estima! If you like bold coffee...I highly recommend a French pressed Cafe Estima.

mmmmm Chocolate!

I've been avoiding chocolate for the past week....but I just couldn't do it any longer. Luckily the little store in our building had Dairy Milk bars....the only "mainstream" chocolate bar that uses Fair Trade chocolate. Check out Cadbury's Fair Trade webpage

Nothing like the smell of justice in the morning!

There are few things in life that I enjoy more than then enjoying my morning coffee as I prepare myself for the day. Coffee has been a part of my morning routine for a very long time...probably long that it should have been. When I lived with my parents, my dad would get up early for work and would make a pot of coffee, drinking one cup at home and taking a second one for the ride to work. The rest would go into the thermos, and when I'd get up there would be fresh coffee for me to enjoy before school.

Today I'm enjoying a cup of dark roast from one of my favorite brands Kicking Horse. You can find their coffee in many large chain grocery stores. They've got a neat website - visit it by clicking on the link embedded in their name above. Their product is Fair Trade, and they make donations to the Nature Conservancy of Canada a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting  natural lands and preserving ecosystems.

There is nothing like the smell of social and environmental justice in the morning!

Well - time to get a move on, the day is a wastin'!

Fair Trade and the Keurig single cup coffee maker

Almost three years ago my friend Chris bought me and my wife a Keurig single cup coffee maker.

 I was immediately opposed to the thing because I think they are pretty wasteful. Each cup of coffee is made with a single cartridge (branded a "K-cup") made of plastic and full of coffee grounds and a little paper filter and covered with a foil lid. Each single cup of coffee requires a new K-cup. Once you're done with the old one - you simply throw it in the trash....

Now because it was a gift...I felt I had to accept it - and I'll admit that I used it a few times. The real problem is that it makes a really good cup of coffee. Even worse I found out that you could even get Fair Trade K-cups.

However my environmental concerns outweighed the convenience and I stopped using the thing. Then one day my wife and I noticed a reuseable cartridge in a store. Utilizing a wire filter basket in a self-contained casing - you can fill the reuseable cartridge with your favourite brand of coffee. We bought the unit and used it right away....however try as I might - I could never get the coffee to taste right. It was always too watered down. So after some investigation, I noticed that there was a large gab between the filter and the bottom of casing...and I noticed that when I opened the unit after using it there was always at least one spot where the pressurized water cleared a tunnel through the grounds to the wire mesh. Once this happened, it was clear to me that the water would simply follow this path (path of least resistance) and would flow straight out...having barely touched the grounds. So what I did was cut open a used k-cup and removed the top section of the cup leaving only the bottom 4/5ths. I fit the remainder of the cup into the casing of the reusable unit to reduce the gap between the bottom of the wire basket and the casing by about 60%. By doing this I ensured that the water would backup in the casing and would amerce the basket in water ensuring enough contact time with the grounds. The idea worked, and ever since I have had excellent cups of coffee from this machine...and I haven't had to use the wasteful K-cups.

Introduction

My name is Duane Nicol and I am a 32 year old resident of Selkirk, Manitoba. During the day I am the Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility for a credit union headquartered in Winnipeg. Outside of my work life, I serve on Selkirk City Council as the Deputy Mayor, and on a number of other committees and non-profit boards. This blog is devoted to chronicling my experience as I take the 2011 Fair Trade Manitoba One Month Challenge.

Basically the challenge is that for one month (Feb 14-Mar 15), I must consume only fairly traded coffee, tea and chocolate. This is my third year participating in this challenge...and I'll be honest with you it's gotten pretty easy since the first time I took it. In the beginning, the coffee in my office wasn't fair trade, but now it is. The coffee my wife and I bought at home wasn't fair trade...but now it is. And it was difficult to find fair trade coffee in regular grocery stores or in restaurants....but now, it's pretty simple. In fact, the vast majority of the coffee and tea that I drink every day of the year is certified Fair Trade.

To me, Fair Trade is not just a product label...but it is more about the world view that I hold. The principles of Fair Trade are simple - purchase goods at a price that allows the producer to earn an income that is sustainable for their family, the community and the environment. One that provides hope and opportunity and ensures that their family isn't relegated to a life of permanent poverty. One that provides enough income so that they can contribute to the development of their community, and one that allows them use sustainable farming, harvesting and production practices.

Purchasing Fair Trade products is my way of recognizing the humanity of people who produce the food I consume. Rather than simply making a donation to charity - purchasing Fair Trade products empowers people to be self-sufficient and to create new opportunities for themselves. To put it bluntly - it is the way I expect to be treated in my employment, so why should I expect anyone else to deserve less?

Over the next month I will be posting short comments on my experiences taking the challenge. I’ll try to make them more interesting than this introduction!

For more information on Fair Trade visit http://www.fairtrademanitoba.ca/