Buy Fair Trade Coffee And Support Women's Rights

Published August 28, 2009 @ 08:00AM PT

I think it's great when innovative people get together to deliver a consumer product while helping a cause like women's rights at the same time.

The Chicory Center’s Resistance Coffee Project, which is based in Chicago, roasts beans grown by the women of La FEM cooperative in Nicaragua. If you’ve had this coffee, you know its quality, and supporting La FEM also means supporting Nicaraguan women’s ability to acquire and own land and thus take fuller control over their fates.

According to a profile written by Just Coffee (their main U.S. fair trade distributor),

La FEM is not simply a coffee growing cooperative. Founded in 1996, they organized to work on issues of domestic violence against women, women's health, education, and job training. When we met them we were immediately impressed with their level of organization and their dedication to women's rights as a political and social imperative.

I'm excited by the entrepreneurial spirit in women around the globe and I think it's important that we support projects that empower women to benefit from fair trade. You can purchase La FEM Co-Op grown beans at Just Coffee or if you're in the Chicago area, get fresh Resistance Coffee delivered to your door.

Do you have a favorite consumer product or brand that helps to empower or support women? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

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Comments (6)

Awesome :-) Great post!

Fair Trade supports more than just female coffee growers.

See how it supports one of our artisans here:http://www.handmadeexpressions.net/collections/sahaj-fair-trade

The main word I use is EMPOWERMENT.

Posted by Juan Portillo on 08/28/2009 @ 10:21AM PT
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Yep...As a coffee lover and a supporter of women's rights...Im gonna see if I cant become a regular customer of theirs.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 08/28/2009 @ 05:42PM PT
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Thanks for your comments Juan and Thomas!

Posted by Dorothee Royal-Hedin... on 08/30/2009 @ 06:21PM PT
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My pleasure miss royal-hedin.

Thank you for these articles...Theyre very well written.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 08/30/2009 @ 08:12PM PT
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No prob! I concur, thank you for the great posts!

Posted by Juan Portillo on 08/31/2009 @ 09:57AM PT
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Dorothee Royal-Hedinger makes several excellent points in her blog. First, the idea that together women in Nicaragua formed a collective entity to better improve their lives is inspiring. All too often women are belittled by their male counterparts and unfairly disadvantaged—economically in this case. However, it does not stop at economics. When women are denied a fair wage, their ability to purchase land and acquire capital is diminished. Their social standing then falls shy of men because they do not have the ability to be self sustaining and independent of men.

Second, the developed world should recognize its injustices against women’s entrepreneurial spirit and give them the opportunity to empower themselves. Unfair—and often illegal under the WTO—trade barriers and policies prohibit women from accessing developed markets and obtaining a fair wage.

There are ways, as Royal-Hedinger mentions, that non-governmental organizations such as Resistance Coffee Project empower individuals to make responsible and informed decisions through their daily life activities such as purchasing a cup of coffee. By giving third world states a fair change in international commerce, marginalized women and their children no longer need to be the victim. Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) would be a key player in such longer term aspirations. A single state cannot solve this problem alone. Instead there are already in place several IGOs that have the ability and authority to begin to address this issue. The World Trade Organization in collaboration with the United Nations could reach an agreement to better negotiate with world markets on lessening restrictive trade policies. The International Monetary Fund could make a special effort on promote micro-loans for women.

The mechanisms are there, it is only a matter of if the political will of the international community decides on furthering women’s rights. Self empowerment is the best way to accomplish this task. We can only hope for now.

Posted by Keith Peyton on 09/22/2009 @ 12:16AM PT
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Author

Dorothee Royal-Hedinger is a web video producer, blogger and experienced New Media Strategist specializing in nonprofit outreach. She is the founder and host of OrganicNation.tv and runs the video magazine Fresh Cut. She enjoys biking, guerrilla gardening and sustainable design. You can follow her on Twitter @DorotheeRH.