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  Seattle Sustainable Coffee Campaign -- Spring 2001
Our Partners for this campaign

 
  The Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign works to raise awareness in the coffee industry and in the public at large about the positive role of shade coffee in conserving migratory birds. The Campaign is a project of Seattle Audubon Society in partnership with Northwest coffee roasters, retailers, and importers. The Campaign currently has nearly 50 members who are committed to supporting the farming, selling and promoting of shade grown coffee. The Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign provides members with marketing materials, educational information for baristas and cafe managers, and the coffee drinkers. Also available through the Campaign is a thorough, current listing of where to buy shade grown coffee in the Pacific Northwest.
VISIT NORTHWEST SHADE COFFEE CAMPAIGN WEB SITE

 
  TransFair USA a non-profit agency, is the only organization providing independent, third-party certification of Fair Trade products in the US. TransFair promotes mutually-beneficial relationships between farmers and coffee companies, and educates consumers about international trade and economic development. Through regular visits to Fair Trade farmer cooperatives, and partnerships with participating coffee companies in the US, TransFair guarantees that farmers who produce Fair Trade Certified products have received a fair price for their harvest.

Many small coffee farmers receive prices for their coffee that are less than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt. With little or no income between harvest months, farmers are forced to sell their next crop in advance to middlemen, who pay far below the harvest’s value. The farmer’s situation is exacerbated by the fact that the world market price is extremely volatile, creating steep drops if overproduction causes world surpluses. With today’s low coffee prices dipping to their lowest level in more than 7 years, thousands of coffee farmers are going bankrupt and losing their farms this year.
VISIT TRANSFAIR USA WEB SITE