Equal Exchange Coffee Program

     The coffee, tea, and hot chocolate served at Christ Church is a part of the UCC Coffee Project, which is a part of the Equal Exchange Interfaith Coffee Program.

     The coffee that we serve is a part of our mission efforts and our theological beliefs of caring for others and for God's creation.

     Equal Exchange is a democratically organized, worker-owned cooperative, founded in 1986, to pioneer a new model of trade built upon fairness and stronger relationships between farmers and consumers.  By purchasing Equal Exchange coffee, tea, chocolate, and other products, we are a part of a network that enables farmers in Latin America, Africa, and Asia to stay on their land, support their families, plan for the future, and care for the environment.  Through Fair Trade we can create a more equitable world.

     Our coffee, tea, and hot chocolate involves the following aspects:

Fair Trade
     Through Equal Exchange, coffee and other crops are purchased directly from democratic coooperatives that are owned by the farmers themselves, enabling members to compete in a marketplace that would otherwise lock them out.  Equal Exchange adheres to Fair Trade standards on 100% of the products, not just a small portion.  Fair Trade helps these farmers to stay on their farms and support their families, while providing funds for co-op services such as training, health care, and education.  Equal Exchange negotiates prices directly with farmers' co-ops, paying at least 5 cents over the world market price andd offering additional premiums for organic coffee.

     Equal Exchange is an alternative to conventional coffee trade.  Over 70% of the coffee we Americans drink is grown by small farmers who live in rural regions of some of the poorest countries in the world.  Isolated from markets, these farmers are usually forced to sell their coffee to local middlemen and then through a long chain of intermediaries before it reaches the market.  In the conventional coffee trade, much of the coffee we drink is also grown on large plantations where workers labor long hours for low pay, have ffew benefits, and lack union or other representation.

     Some 20 million people living near the equator depend on coffee for their livelihood.  In their struggle just to make a simple living, the producers of a rich crop are often trapped in poverty.  In recent years, a scrisis in the world coffee market has meant that many farmers typically receive less than the cost of production for their beans.

     But there is an alternative:  Fair Trade.  Fair trade shares the bounty of the coffee trade with those who grow the crop, helping them build a better future for themselves and their communities.  Through this model we believe food can become a delicious and powerful tool for creating positive change for small farmers and their families.

Shade Grown
     All the coffee is shade grown, which helps reduce deforestation of rainforests.

Organic
     Most but not all of Equal Exchange products are organic.

High Quality
     Equal Exchange coffee is of high quality, which you can learn more about by clicking on the following link: quality of our coffee.  Try the delicious taste during any of our fellowship times.

Kosher
     All the coffees are certified kosher by Orthodox Union.  Organic Coffees are certified by Oregon Tilth.