Kevin Jones
Coffee is a staple for many people within the United States. Roughly 50% of Americans, above the age of 18 (an estimated 150 million people) consume coffee, and the average coffee drinker consumes 3.1 cups of coffee per day. This equates to 11,891,734 pounds of coffee grounds per day that is consumed in America. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that this coffee was grown and harvested in a way that is sustainable in regards to the environment as well as beneficial to the farmer? A way to do this is by finding coffee with either a Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance Certified seal on the package.
Any product that has been certified with either the Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade must conform to certain guidelines in its production. With Fairtrade products the benefit is shifted more to the farmer/organization than to the environment. This certification ensures a minimum price on the sale of coffee beans so that the farmer can make a larger profit on the sale. For larger organizations with hired labor, Fairtrade certification ensures a minimum wage, collective bargaining, and no forced or child labor. Fairtrade premiums are also another payment that is received by the producers in this certification. This premium is used to improve upon health and education, as well as other social facilities. What this premium is spent on is up to the producer but is monitored by a separate organization called FLO-CERT to ensure that it is within the guidelines of the Fairtrade certification.
The Rainforest Alliance certification is aimed primarily at sustainable agricultural practices, but has guidelines for hired labor as well. For specifically agriculture, some of the guidelines include: reduction of pesticides, herbicides and the like; protection of wild animals and waterways (ecosystem protection); no discrimination in hiring processes and in the work place; no children under the age of 15 may employed; use of protective gear or employees. Any one guideline must be met to at least 50% of specification and the entirety of the production must meet at least 80% of all the guidelines combined.
If a person were to think of coffee there are three major brands/companies that would come to mind: Starbucks, Maxwell House, and Folgers. Two out of these three don’t have any coffee that is Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certified, or anything of similar standing. Through searching websites on Maxwell House and Folgers, I was unable to find anything that even suggested that their products were certified in anyway shape or form. However, the Kraft Company, which owns Maxwell House, does have another coffee product called Yuban which is composed of 30% Rainforest Alliance certified coffee grounds. Starbucks, surprisingly enough, has guidelines for buying coffee from producers that are similar to Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance guidelines, which are called C.A.F.E Practices. With Maxwell House and Folgers being the two largest distributors of coffee in the United States, shouldn’t they be concerned about the sustainability of their products as well as the welfare of those farming/producing them? Someday, instead of thinking of Folgers and Maxwell House, maybe Americans will be thinking of Green Mountain Coffee or the Good Coffee Company.
Citations
E-IMPORTS. 2011. Coffee statistics page. http://www.e-importz.com/Support/specialty_coffee.htm Accessed 11 Nov 2011.
Kraft Brands. 2011. Maxwell House Page. http://www.kraftbrands.com/maxwellhousecoffee/Pages/default.aspx Accessed 11 Nov 2011.
Folgers. 2011. Folgers home page. http://folgers.com/ Accessed 11 Nov 2011.
Fairtrade International. 2011. Standards page. http://www.fairtrade.net/ Accessed 11 Nov 2011.
Rainforest Alliance. 2011. Sustainable agriculture page. http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/ Accessed 11 Nov 2011.
3 comments:
I’m not at all surprised Maxwell House and Folgers don’t use any certifications from start to finish when making their coffee blends. Larger companies are the hardest on the environment in today’s world because of the volume they must produce to satisfy their customers’ needs. These larger companies aren’t concerned with natural resources and the environment. The bottom line is money talks and if the dollar signs are piling up there isn’t a need to change business practices. I’m more surprised a well known company like Starbucks uses certifications to produce their product. Maxwell House and Folgers don’t use certifications because it cuts into their profit margins. Until the day comes when environmental regulations are set, I feel very few large companies will not voluntarily use certifications and environmentally practices unless forced to.
Ryan Briske
Nice job! I wasn't aware of this, regarding large companies. Sadly, it's a cost thing too. When I buy fair trade coffee at $18 versus Folgers at $8, I have to seriously remind myself why I pay extra.
Like Ryan I’m not surprised that Maxwell House and Folgers don’t use any certifications. This is among one of the biggest problems that the corporate American and most Americans have right now. They/we are unwilling to pay a slightly higher price on something, whether it be coffee in this instance or a American made product to wane our dependence from China. As Americans we have been taught maximize our profits to the best of our ability with the least amount of inputs possible. However, eventually it will come back to bite us in the behind. As a connoisseur of coffee, I have been more conscious of the coffee I consume and will be form here on out.
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