With more than 10,000 meetings per year, it is not difficult to imagine the amount of coffee that is consumed at All Saints Church, especially considering how many of those meetings begin in the early morning or run late into the evening. In order to be more socially and fiscally responsible, All Saints recently moved its coffee service contract to a company called Pura Vida Coffee. Pura Vida distributes Bishops Blend, a premium line of certified Fair Trade, organic and shade-grown coffees from Central America and Indonesia, the proceeds from which benefit Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD).
According to Pura Vida, coffee is the most heavily traded commodity in the world after petroleum. Yet most coffee growers -- small family farmers -- have been left behind by this boom and can barely afford their basic needs. As an alternative to “business as usual,” Fair Trade:
- pays farmers a decent, living wage for their harvests,
- creates direct trade links to farmers and their cooperatives,
- provides access to affordable credit, helping farmers stay out of debt to local loan sharks, and
- promotes sustainable practices, such as organic farming, that help protect the environment.
