Purchase Fair Trade Coffee

Both individuals and congregations can directly support local coffee growers when they buy fair trade coffee.  This is a way to buy Central American coffee that cuts out the middleman, who usually buys coffee from a local grower, rarely paying the grower a price that is enough to live on, and sells it at a huge mark-up.  Thus the local grower is not able to invest in things like education for their children, or in their coffee growing business, and are unable to take steps to better their lives.  By contrast, fair trade coffee organizations pay a living wage to growers, and sell to churches and individuals who want to make a more socially responsible choice. 

This is an especially appropriate ministry for United Methodist Churches…what better combination is there than Methodists and coffee?  There are UM Churches that not only serve fair trade coffee at every fellowship time, they also sell bags of ground and whole bean coffee for mission fundraisers. 

See the United Methodist News Service Article on United Methodist Churches using Fair Trade Coffee in fellowship hour.

There are many fair trade coffee sellers on the internet.  Just go to a search engine and look up “fair trade coffee”.  We’ve heard of two websites that United Methodists are using with success.  (We’re not endorsing them, but offering them as a first step…if you want to share information on other fair trade coffee sites, write us and we’ll list them too!)

Interfaith Coffee Program
Fair trade wholesale coffee, especially for church use.
http://store.yahoo.com/equalexchange/

Outreach Coffee Company
Fair trade coffee, churches have used the small bags for fund-raisers
http://www.outreachcoffee.com/

This page was last updated on Saturday April 19, 2008.

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