It's Personal

Did you know that coffee is one of the highest traded commodities in the world. I am told it is the 2nd most traded commodity behind oil.Think about that just for a minute.The 2nd most traded commodity in the world is a novelty product. It is something that we as people could live without. Yet Arabica coffee is often over supplied and manipulated by power brokers that press price low. Within the coffee supply chain there are many people involved in getting the coffee beans from the farmer to your coffee cup. My cup is oversized. A piece of handmade pottery from the community I grew up in, back in the good ole USA.Coffee is not just a huge commodity but is also something personal. It is personal to the farmers who work hard planting, nurturing, maintaining and harvesting the coffee trees. It is personal because the coffee plant is a steady source of work to the farmers. When maintained well the trees will fruit the majority of the year. There is a large bumper harvest season and then a side fruiting that then follows. In Sumatra, coffee has its largest harvest season from April thru July. This is the time of year the coffee growers wait for. When there is steady demand, they get fairly traded prices for their crop.Anyone in Agriculture knows, when you have a good crop, you take pride in that. Your head is held high,having been a part of the wonder of seeing a plant grow and bear fruit. Much toil and sweat, having been poured out, to see the harvest come in. To have a crop is one thing, but to see the crop sell at a fair price is quite another. In most parts of the developing world, Agricultural commodities are full of competitive pressures that make it hard for growers to get a fair price. Traders often buy the harvest at oppressive prices consistent of an industry that is tightly guarded by large companies.It is our duty to honor the growers.As we seek the highest quality coffee available, we must insist on fair prices.We must honor the hard work that has been done to deliver some of the finest Arabica coffee on the planet. If you could meet the grower who grew your coffee, would you be able to look him in the eye?? That is how I roll. I must be someone who has a positive impact upon the lives of the grower and their community.Curtis Brink