Not Just Another Cup of Coffee

Fair Trade coffee connoisseurs at the Wedge have another choice to make when consuming with a conscience. Just Coffee from Madison, WI arrived at the Wedge about 6 months ago and they've been a welcome addition to the fair trade hub of values-added, great tasting coffee. In the quickly growing market of fair trade coffees, what sets them all apart is really what brings them all together.

The worker co-op, Just Coffee, percolated out of a close relationship between the Madison-based student and community action group, Community Action on Latin America (CALA) and the Zapatista Autonomous Municipality of Santa Catarina in Chiapas, Mexico. As with every just cause, funds were low, but everyone was brimming with ideas about how a group from Madison could help improve the impoverished and strained living conditions in Chiapas. They found out what people have known for centuries: There's no better way to help people and bring communities together than by serving up great cups of coffee.

In the tradition of many progressive movements, great minds think alike. In 1999, while Just Coffee was in its very beginning stages, smaller Fair Trade roasters were looking for a way to buy large quantities of beans directly from farmers. These roasters formed Cooperative Coffees, a co-op of Fair Trade roasters who buy green coffee beans direct from growers at prices often higher than the globally recognized fair trade price of $1.41 for organic shade-grown beans. By 2003, Just Coffee was ready to enter the market and joined Cooperative Coffees, which is currently becoming an internationally recognized Fair Trade powerhouse.

Just Coffee was actually brought to the Wedge's attention by fellow Cooperative Coffee member, Peace Coffee. "The Wedge could've bought coffee from any certified fair trade roaster," says T.J. Semanchin, Peace Coffee's head roaster, "their dedication to Fair Trade principles goes deeper than standards and mirrors that of Peace Coffee." Only in the Fair Trade world do you have competitors give each other recommendations and roll out the carpet into retail stores.

Just Coffee offers many delectable blends like the medium-roasted and full-bodied East Timor or the incredibly smooth taste of the Columbian French Roast. Each coffee expresses not only the time and effort poured into the farming methods but the artisan air-flow roasting used. Often inviting debates equaling that of wine and cheese aficionados, the air roasting method used by Just coffee is said to completely protect the beans from scorching and often gives the coffee a distinct taste, different from the drum-roasted method used for many other coffees.

"Each of our roasters use the same [coffee] bean but very unique roasting talent," says Mary Garvie, the Wedge's coffee consultant, "the end result is unique in itself. We don't have a bad coffee down there."

Besides simply supporting Fair Trade, Just Coffee customers also have the option of helping out progressive causes while enjoying their cup of shade grown, organic, fair trade coffee. "Fundraiser coffees" are a combination of different blends and a dollar from every pound goes to causes ranging from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to the Wisconsin Wetlands Association. You can also order directly and have the option of contributing to Catholic Relief Service's Fair Trade Program, which supports low-income farmers and artisans overseas. Thinking on a very local scale, Just Coffee even makes smaller batches for schools to sell at fundraisers, usually bringing in about $3.50 a bag directly to the school. The cooperative efforts of Just Coffee are truly focused on cooperative principles by sharing their successes of the Fair Trade movement.

But Just Coffee isn't just another Fair Trade roaster doing good things like fundraising and delivering by bike; they have also made a revolutionary break from Transfair USA, the omnificent U.S. Fair Trade certifying organization. While Just Coffee recognizes Transfair USA's commitment to fair trade and accomplishments in pushing fair trade to the tips of everyone's tongues, the recent certification of Proctor and Gamble, Starbucks and even Nestlé has raised many brows. Just Coffee and a few other roasters answered this questionable quandary by seeking alternative certification in order to separate themselves from the not-so-just likes of the recent "Fair Trade" companies. Midwest Organic Services Association now verifies Just Coffee for their organic certification and their adherence to international fair trade practices.

"We are committed to the idea of building a better [fair trade] model so customers can easily understand what Fair Trade is," says Mike Moon of Just Coffee, "We encourage consumers to ask questions about where their food comes from. Transparency is key to everything we buy."

So stroll over to the aromatic bulk coffee section next time you're at the Wedge. As you peruse for your favorite caffeine fix perhaps you could try Just Coffee's Bike Fuel, a favorite of many caffeine cravers. Not a fan of the buzz? Try the Wedge exclusive, Light Decaf. "It doesn't taste decaffeinated," Mary suggests emphatically. Just Coffee is certainly not just another coffee, but one of many offering great, socially just, and organic coffees. It's the do-gooder details and distinct taste that set them all apart.