First, the bad news: $800,000 worth of fair trade coffee beans are soaking up hurricane water in New Orleans (via Isthmus).
Just Coffee, a fair trade coffee roaster and distributor in Madison (Fletch — do you know them?) had their shipment come in — The company gets their beans via Cooperative Coffee in New Orleans — just before the hurricane hit.
Luckily, Just Coffee’s insured, so it looks like they’ll be ok: Said co-founder Mike Moon: “It’s not devastating, it’s just problematic.”
Now, happier news, sort of: Barefoot Coffee Roasters, a fair trade coffee company in the Bay area, has partnered with the American Red Cross to help out Hurricane Katrina victims (via PRWeb). Barefoot, along with MoonBeans Coffee, are offering a free half pound of coffee to anyone who comes in to the store and donates $10 or more to the Red Cross Hurricane 2005 relief fund between now and 9/15. The goal: to raise $8,000.
If, like me, you don’t live in NoCal — You can donate on their website. For every $20 donation and the cost of shipping ($6 to 90035), you get a free 1/2 pound of coffee.
So do good and drink coffee :) I should be sipping Barefoot by Tuesday –
That’s right off of Washington Avenue, a street I used to live on. Unfortunately, Baldwin Street is way on the east side, not the west where the UW sits. I don’t visit Madison as much as I’d like, but finding Fair Trade coffee near campus is never a worry. In fact, when the first town in America becomes a Fair Trade one, it’s likely to be Madison. It’s a very progressive place.
Comment by Fletch — September 3, 2005 @ 7:54 pm
Interesting about Madison. It sounds kinda Berkeley-ish. For all of SoCal’s blue pride, I often get the sense LA isn’t all that progressive. Or maybe just more contradictory. People buy organic produce, then cart their groceries home in their SUVs.
Comment by Siel — September 4, 2005 @ 1:41 pm
Though I’ve been to S.F., I’ve never been to any of its suburbs. However, it has often been so compared (positively and negatively).
“People buy organic produce, then cart their groceries home in their SUVs.“
It’s hard here in suburban Milwaukee to avoid the car as well. Our solution to long-term transportation planning is uni-dimensional: more freeways. So, I’d give them some credit. In these times, it’s better than nothing.
Comment by Fletch — September 4, 2005 @ 5:05 pm
Did you know that Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf are cancelling their pink punch cards?
Comment by Paul — September 4, 2005 @ 6:27 pm