Cafe

For my second blog, I decided to look into something that I consume every day here in Canada, which is produced in Guatemala, coffee! Many of us drink at least one cup of coffee every day, sometimes more. In recent years coffee has become a hot button issue in the world of fair trade and ethical consumption. Many companies boast “fair trade” or “fairly traded” options for their customers amidst a myriad of other caffeinated choices. Unfortuantely, as with many things in life, making the responsible, ethical choice when it comes to coffee isn’t always clear. Here in Canada we have a bounty of choices when it comes to selecting where our coffee comes from and in what conditions it was grown. Although the option for slightly more responsible consumption exists, people are still very willing to drop the $1.52 for a steaming hot cup of, considerably less ethical, Tim Hortons’ own brew. As much as I’d like to point the finger of blame at the thoughtless caffeine addicted consumer, I too am guilty of indulging in the occasional coffee, courtesy of Tim Hortons.

Tim Hortons is an easy target; they’re on every street corner and in almost every small town in Canada, and they don’t offer a labeled “fair trade” option. But on second thought, is Tim Hortons’ really worse than the rest? So I did a little investigating, and it turns out that Tim Horton’s first attempts at jumping on the “fair trade” wagon, took place in Guatemala. In 2005 they launched their first initiative in their Community Partnership program in the Oriente region of Guatemala. Since the launch of this initiative Tim Hortons has set up the Asociación Comercializadora Café Sostenible Oriente (ACCSO) in Guatemala, and similar projects in Colombia and Brazil. This is all well and good, the Tim Hortons website goes on to explain how their programs help local people to become professional business people, which allows them to gain knowledge, thus increasing their income and quality of life. If International Development has taught me anything, it is that there are always two sides to a story, so I looked for the other side. When I searched the ACCSO the only hits were linked to Tim Hortons’ own website. Suspicious no?

The next company that I looked into was the one we all love to hate, Starbucks. Straight out of Seattle, Starbucks cornered the market on over-priced, overly complicated coffee beverages. Yet consumers everywhere bought into it. Starbucks claims to address the issue of ethical sourcing through their Coffee And Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) practices, which help farmers to grow coffee that is better for people and the planet. But when I searched “Guatemala” on the Starbucks website, all that showed up were hits for their “Antigua” blend. In the description they make no mention of C.A.F.E. or fair trade practices with regards to this coffee. They do note that the geographic conditions of the area are “nearly ideal” for growers and coffee lovers. I wonder what “nearly ideal” entails?

Pero que peinsan los Guatemaltecos sobre los negocios como Starbucks y Tim Hortons? La Prensa Libre tuve muchos artículos que son relacionado con Starbucks, pero no tuve ninguno sobre Tim Hortons. Uno hablé de la abrierto de un Starbucks en San Salvador, la primera franquicia en Centroamérica. De modo interesante, los comentarios por el articulo son en favor de la introducción de Starbucks a Centroamérica, y que ellos esperan uno en Guatemala. El otro articulo que leí, fue sobre el orugullo que los Guatemaltecos tienen en su café. Es muy claro que a los Guatemaltecos el café represente mucho más que una bebida.

But what to the Guatemalans think about businesses like Starbucks and Tim Hortons? La Prensa Libre had many articles related to Starbucks, but none related to Tim Hortons. One spoke about the introduction of Starbucks to Central America, the first franchise is to open in San Salvador. Interestingly the comments on the article were all supportive of the introduction of Starbucks to Central America, and that they were waiting for the first to open in Guatemala. The other article that I read was about the pride that Guatemalans take in their coffee. It is very clear that to Guatemalans, coffee is much more than a drink.

As supportive and excited as people appear at the introduction of Starbucks to Central America, I realize fully that these articles did not, in any way, seek to represent the voice of the coffee farmers and workers that produce the coffee, so carelessly consumed by many of us in the rest of the world. So the next time you go to grab a cup of coffee, think about where it came from, what conditions the workers experienced, and whether that “fair trade” label means something, or is just there to pacify your conscience.

Sources:

http://www.timhortons.com/ca/en/difference/coffee-partnership.html

http://www.starbucks.com/coffee/whole-bean-coffee/latin-america/guatemala-antigua

http://www.prensalibre.com/economia/Starbucks-Centroamerica_0_317968373.html

http://www.prensalibre.com/opinion/mejor-cafe-mundo_0_266973309.html