Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leaders are celebrating a major milestone in the ongoing campaign to improve the lives of farmworkers. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) announced that Ahold USA became the first major grocer in the U.S. to join the CIW Fair Food Program. Ahold is the parent company of Stop & Shop, Giant Foods and online grocer Peapod and operates nearly 780 supermarkets in 14 states and the District of Columbia.
As the plummeting temperatures and winter storms of the last few weeks have reminded us, we are in the season of winter, when the world is at its darkest. This is the time when Earth orbits the sun in its widest arc, shortening the day and lengthening the night. For many, it is a time of searching for light.
Colombian and U.S. Presbyterians who have partnered for more than six years to protect human rights workers in Colombia are calling on their sisters and brothers in both countries to take accompaniment to the next level.
In 2010, a 12 oz. bag of coffee cost about $7. Today, it’s closing in on $10. Why the increase in the cost of caffeine?
The Just Trade Center on the Arizona/Mexico border promotes a new model of fair trade — fair trade plus — that goes above and beyond the traditional benefits of the system.
Instead of only paying a fair price to the farmers for their coffee beans, Café Justo, using the fair trade plus model, also keeps the processing, roasting, packaging, shipping, marketing and management of the coffee in Mexico. This system allows farmers to participate in and profit from the entire process, increasing profits and providing more local jobs.
With most other fair trade coffee companies, the growing …