Just Coffee Cooperative

I have been posting for several years into the general site and not in my blog. If you are interested in any more stories on fair trade, growers, Just Coffee Co-op, and more, please cycle back through the main page of the site or hit the "fair trade politics" tag above any of my last posts.

Thanks for reading and supporting!

Sitting in San Cristobal de Las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico things are crystal clear. Underneath the din of organizations in the North clamoring to set the definition and terms of Fair Trade, small-scale coffee farmers-- the original and supposed main beneficiaries of the system(s)-- have a unified opinion that Fair Trade™ has not worked. This of course, on the surface, is not a new revelation. However, where in the past we often discussed Fair Trade as “not working”, we now are closing the book on it-- we are speaking in the past tense. In the wake of FLO's slow and steady sell out of the model to large corporations and TransFair USA's sprint to complete the deal, Fair Trade™ has bitten the dust. Now is the appropriate time to spill an espresso shot in the dirt and say a few words.

The Honorable Matthew Cameron Earley has been commissioned a Kentucky Colonel!!!

Join Just Coffee in welcoming our own Matt Earley to the distinguished ranks of such pomperosers as Barry Manilow, Ronald Reagan, and Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.

This venerable achievement ushers in a new era of prestige to Just Coffee as well as to the entire fairtrade coffee roasting industry, as Matt is, we believe, the first coffee roaster to have been bestowed this estimable title.

When reached for comment, Matt slowly set his mint julep on the railing of the veranda while his misting eyes looked out over his vast estate surveying all that was his. He then thoughtfully straightened his string tie, brushed the dirt of the shoulder of his seersucker suit, and cleared his throat in a classy southern way. What he said next was lost in the loud chirping of a thousand cicadas and the syrupy goodness of his stately Kentucky drawl.

Then he smiled widely, tipped his white hat, and sauntered into the humid evening to find another refreshing bourbon drink.

Here is a video diary of my recent trip to Venezuela.

The song in the clip is by a fellow named Luis Llaneton Sandoval. It is called "Las Cachos Suben y Bajan".

I'll post more stories and photos about VZ soon.