Martin Luther King, Jr. Day–A Fair Trade Reflection

 

As promoters of Fair Trade, we here at One World Market whole-heartedly agree with the late (great) Martin Luther King, Jr.

Our staff and loyal volunteers work everyday to create a space where artisans in developing countries can sell their wares for a fair price. We believe their labor deserves dignity. It deserves respect.

That’s why all the items at our non-profit retail store are Fair Trade. Fair Trade seeks to create social justice. We want to live in a world where everyone, no matter their ethnicity, religion, or social class can earn a fair wage. It’s a simple idea really, and here in Durham, NC, it can be easy to work towards.

 

By purchasing items at One World Market, by making a commitment to buy Fair Trade items, you are standing up for justice. You are fighting the injustices that happen every day, in the tiniest corners of our world. You are defending those who are unable to defend themselves.By purchasing items at One World Market, you are standing up for labor that uplifts humanity. You are declaring with your purchase that everyone, around the world, deserves a job with dignity. A job that garners respect. 

One World Market is closed today in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr, a true warrior for his cause.

And we hope that you will join us in our mission to support Fair Trade. Make Fair Trade an issue in your life worth supporting, become a Fair Trade Warrior in your community!

Promoting Social Justice and the Environment: A NEW Cup of Coffee

This week, One World Market is excited to be offering a new coffee from El Salvador: Eight Rivers.

Eight Rivers uses coffee beans from the Las Colinas Co-op. The 89 coffee farmers that make up Las Colinas co-op are situated on the border of El Imposible National Park. Their farming practices serve a very critical role in protecting and preserving the area’s important natural resources.

Ten years ago, the farmers began the rigorous process of transitioning all of their coffee to organic production and today all of it is certified organic. It is also grown under a heavy forested canopy. Keeping the forest lush is a high priority; a new sustainability program involves planting 60,000 new coffee trees each year throughout the farm. Considering that El Salvador is one of the most deforested countries in the western hemisphere, this is a great accomplishment.

Their land also contains a spring that provides water to thousands of people in the nearby town of Tacuba, and the farmers have taken great care to preserve and protect this spring that so many people depend on for clean water.

Las Colinas recently built a state-of-the-art ecological mill that recycles wastewater used during coffee processing, helping to conserve water and protect the soil and groundwater supply from contaminants.

The previous wastewater system wasn’t much of a system at all: wastewater pools that were largely unusable and were problems to manage. The current system has turned that reality on its head: the community now uses these pools filled with the recycled, clean water, as fish farms.

In visiting this coffee grower’s co-op, an Equal Exchange representative asked one of the farmers, Remberto, what the biggest difference has been in his life since the co-op was formed. He replied,

A coffee that promotes not only social justice but also responsible environmental stewardship, now that’s an amazing cup of coffee!

**All photos and farmer interviews are courtesy of Equal Exchange Coffee