Local Coffee Roasters Promote Fair Trade

Original article: Cooperative Coffees by Shannon Henry Kleiber, Winter 2010

Then: About the Cover

Issue number three was one of our favorite covers for its simple yet symbolic composition. The process of cupping, represented in the cover photo, is an important part of sourcing great coffee. During a cupping, experienced tasters will try many coffee varieties in very little time, slurping their way down a long line of cups. With only a spoonful, they evaluate the coffee’s cleanness, sweetness, acidity, mouthfeel and aftertaste.

The cups here also symbolize the 23 members of Cooperative Coffees (itself represented by the 24th cup), a coffee-importing cooperative that promotes sustainable farming and fair trade.

Now

Like beer, craft coffee has been on a rocket trajectory over the past 10 years, and our region is home to many roasters who are leading the way in sustainable sourcing and paying farmers fairly for their hard work. Two of the state’s most prominent roasters, Just Coffee in Madison and Kickapoo Coffee in Viroqua, have gained national influence through their membership in Cooperative Coffees. In fact, in 2017 Kickapoo Coffee instituted the highest minimum published farmer pay price in the United States, which prompted others across the country to raise their prices too. It’s remarkable that a small roaster in rural Wisconsin can have that kind of impact. “It’s locavore-ism... from a distance,” wrote Shannon in the article.

The sustainable and fair trade ethic runs deep among Wisconsin’s small roasteries, from pioneers like Colectivo, Kickapoo Coffee, Just Coffee, JBC, True and Ancora, to newer entrants like Ledger and Kin-Kin in Madison, Badger Bros. in Platteville, Hawthorne and Stone Creek in Milwaukee, Ruby in Nelsonville, and Honest Roast in Eau Claire. They, and many others, are committed to doing business in a way that supports small farmers and ecosystems around the world.

Future

A study published in January 2019 in Science Advances found “at least 60 percent of all coffee species are threatened with extinction,” mostly due to climate change. Many species are not even preserved in seed banks or grown in protected areas. Over the next 50 to 80 years, coffee will become harder to grow, reducing quality and yields, reducing the variety of species to breed from, which eventually will hurt the flavor of the coffee that gets many of us out of bed every morning.

This is one reason why Cooperative Coffees is exploring options grown in Central America. Here, the varied landscape provides options, and the region’s unique soils can grow beans with distinct and interesting flavors. Plus, coffee grown closer to Wisconsin means fewer food miles for that cup in your hand.

Here's hoping the future of coffee continues to support small sustainable organic farmers and the many roasters in our region. It takes caring, conscious coffee-lovers like you to make sure that happens.