The Global Coffee Crisis:

Quick Facts: On the conventional market coffee farmers were paid per pound: $2.30 in 1965; $4.30 in 1985; $2.30 in 1995, 90¬¢ in 1997; and 55¢ in 2003. Nestle controls 40% of the coffee industry. Oxfam declared 540,000 Central Americans without jobs in 2002 as part of the crisis, 5,000,000 living below the poverty line. Resources: Mugged: Poverty in Your Coffee Cup Oxfam America's full report on the coffee crisis Coffee Crisis: the hard realities that fill your cup An interactive audiovisual presentation from MSNBC TransFair USA An overview from the organization that certifies Fair Trade coffee in the USA. The Coffee Crisis in Context A collection of links from eldis.org Global Exhange's Fair Trade Coffee page

Now, more than ever, coffee farmers need your support. The price farmers receive for their coffee is at a 150 year low. Coffee farmers, and the communities they are a part of, are caught in a frightening crisis. Four large companies dominate the industry; their profits are soaring, while farmers make less and less every year.

What can be done?

By working closely with farmer cooperatives in Latin America, the Community Agroecology Network (CAN) is helping these farmers face this crisis with new alternatives . CAN links the farmer directly with consumers to give them more than two times better than even Fair Trade prices . CAN helps farmers develop more sustainable communities by encouraging ecological farming practices and establishing connections with educators, professionals, farmers, and you--the consumer. Through these links, trust is established, opportunities made possible, and goals realized.

At CAN we give 'bringing the farmer directly to you' honest meaning. Our friends in the village of Agua Buena de Coto Brus, Costa Rica and their cooperative, Coopabuena, are now able to process, roast, package, and mail their coffee directly to you!

This is a gigantic leap forward in a village that has been devastated by the crash of the coffee price paid to farmers. The success of their plan depends on selling coffee directly to you and other consumers.

CAN farmers/coop receive $3.25 profit for the same pound of coffee that Fair Trade farmers/coop would receive $1.26 for, while the conventional marketing method returns less than $1 to the farmer.

Help turn a global crisis into a 'Global Farmers Market.'

Please help support Agua Buena de Coto Brus now. Your purchase of coffee will enable them to make the important transition of their small mountain valley into a thriving ecological and agricultural community.

More Information:

• The Coopabuena Cooperative is Fair Trade certified by the Fair Trade Labeling Organization, which guarantees that small scale farmers participate in a democratically managed cooperative that supports economic and social development of the farmer members. Only the highest quality coffee is sent to you through CAN's fair trade direct market. Many of these selected farmers use organic farming techniques; all actively participate in technical assistance programs on how to use sustainable practices. Through your direct purchase you help all of these farmers learn alternatives to pesticide use as well as other ecologically-sound methods.
• The full price you pay for your coffee is returned to the Coopabuena Cooperative. About half pays for the mailing, packaging and roasting. The remaining half is distributed to the farmers, co-op, and community projects. Your purchase of coffee direct from the farmer really does make a difference.

Click here to order coffee direct from farmers