In October 2012, when Hershey's announced it would "certify" all its cocoa by 2020, the corporate candy giant received lukewarm applause for finally publically acknowledging its sourcing of cocoa from plantations that exploit child labor.
Do you drink coffee? Do you think about where that coffee comes from, and who harvests those beans? Do you consider how much you pay for your morning fix, and how that impacts the salary those farmers make?
Fair trade is a term we often hear thrown around when it comes to coffee, tea, produce and even diamonds. What does it mean, though, and how much difference does buying fair-trade food and products really make?
Throw your metaphorical corporate life out of the proverbial window and start afresh by sustaining the earth and its inhabitants. This is change we can believe in.
There are several "sustainable" certification labels that appear on coffee. I love coffee, but what do all those environmental coffee labels mean? Is one certification better than the other?
These days, companies that sell fair trade-certified food might be doing much better than "fair." Sales of products with Fair Trade USA's seal of app...
It takes an enormous amount of water to run a successful coffee farm. But one organic farm in Guatemala is using substantially less to grow its crops....
Today, a new coffee CSA (it's actually called Coffee CSA) debuts as a project from Pachamama, a global cooperative of coffee farms. Though there are s...
Why does so much philosophy take place in bars and coffeehouses? What's the relationship between drinking and thinking?
The idea of "fair" trade is very appealing, whether confronting the plight of autoworkers in Michigan or farmers in the Third World. Unfortunately, it will be only a small part of any trade solution for the U.S. and the world as a whole.
In this day and age, in a world of 24/7 connectivity there is also a need for increased productivity, and so it's hardly a surprise that coffee is the...
Every day, citizens of our planet down 2.5 billion cups of coffee. Yearly, that's enough coffee filters, grounds and paper cups to circle the globe 55 times when placed end to end.
By meeting with coffee farmers, an economic relationship can become a meaningful personal partnership of farmer, barista and customer. Hence, "relationship coffee."
'Tis the season to spend, spend, spend! But, while you're letting go of all your hard-earned cash, think about gifts you can buy that give back to a w...
Where'd your morning joe come from? As the world awakens to social responsibility issues, many are now looking for a tasty and ethical brew in the morning. A expert panel gives their picks.
