Organization pushes fair trade coffee
By Daily Bruin Staff
Nov. 7, 2000 9:00 p.m.
By Kimberley Ma
Daily Bruin Contributor
The Environmental Coalition served free coffee to students on
Bruin Walk Monday and Tuesday morning in an attempt to persuade
UCLA to buy Fair Trade Certified coffee.
The EC will hold a meeting at 5 p.m. today in 3126 Rolfe Hall to
inform students about implications of fair trade, with guest
speaker Rosario Castellon Garcia of Global Exchange, a human rights
organization.
Unlike free trade companies, Fair Trade Certified coffee insures
small coffee farmers receive a minimum wage of $1.26 per pound,
according to an Environmental Coalition members.
“Most coffee farmers receive less than 50 cents per
pound,” said Kirsten Isaaccson, a fourth-year political
science student and EC member. “They are forced into a cycle
of poverty and debt.”
The coalition will meet with the Associated Students of UCLA
Board of Directors Monday to discuss the possibility of offering
fair trade coffee at the university. Currently, UCLA’s coffee
supplier is Superior, a free trade company.
“The board seems open to the idea, but it’s based on
student support,” said David Halusic, an EC member. “If
UCLA buys 40,000 pounds of coffee then we have a big impact. We can
directly affect 100 families.”
Members from the coalition and BOD will discuss cost differences
of buying from a fair trade company.
Board members are reviewing the data and won’t know the
exact difference for a couple of weeks.
“We’re in a preliminary stage right now,” said
Robert Williams, director of food operations for ASUCLA.
“We’re just collecting data on the types of fair trade
companies and the costs.”
According to Rory Champewat, ASUCLA operations manager, the
association will decide whether to switch suppliers with
students’ financial situation in mind.
“We like to run as good a business as we can for the
students,” Champewat said. “We are definitely looking
into this and the decision will be made for the
students.”
So far, the EC has collected more than 300 student names in a
petition for UCLA to switch to fair trade coffee.
“The petition shows that there is a lot of awareness in
the students,” said Christine Riordan, a third-year
international developmental studies student. “It will show
ASUCLA that the students are willing to pay extra to
help.”
UC Berkeley and UC Davis are already buying fair trade coffee,
and Starbucks offers it at more than 2,000 stores nationwide.
According to Piper Lee, who works at a Starbucks in Westwood, the
company sells fair trade coffee to consumers at the same price as
regular coffee.
Coalition members acknowledged that fair trade coffee may be
more expensive, but the difference in price is not significant.
“Fair trade does cost a bit more,” Isaaccson said.
“But it’s such an easy way to change the
world.”
