Economic slavery is thriving in agriculture, and we can do something about it. The same exploitive economic principles used in the USA in the 18th and 19th century with slavery are still being used in the 21st century by many companies. Companies commoditize agriculture to provide consumers with cheaper prices and to enrich themselves. Unfortunately, these “cost savings” come at a high human cost by enslaving people in the cycle of poverty, limiting education for children, and disconnecting us from our food and the people who grow it (arguably a leading cause of the USA obesity epidemic).
I would like to highlight coffee since it is something most of us purchase every day. The truth is the coffee business is a dirty business that has made a few people very rich by economically enslaving many others. I want to share with you three of the most egregious practices that go into your cup of morning Joe.
1a. What is Wrong? Plantations (Bad for People and the Environment)
The same economic principles used on cotton plantations in the 18th and 19th century are being used today on most coffee plantations. While plantation workers are not in physical chains, they are subjected to inhumane conditions and in many cases are only paid about $1 a day.
The other issue of plantations is their negative impact on the environment. Clear-cutting rainforests to make room for a coffee plantation is a real problem for the ecosystem, the animals, and makes for bad tasting coffee.
1b. How we can do better.
Ask your favorite coffee shop if they buy from plantations? If they do, ask if you can have the name of the plantation and Google it to see their labor practices. Not all plantations engage in unethical labor practices, but most do, so if you are going to buy plantation coffee (which I hope you don’t care for environmental reasons) be sure they are not engaged in economic slavery.
Bonus: Ask if their coffee is organic?
2a. What is Wrong? Brokers
Farmers call brokers, “coyotes” because they are scavengers who feed off the plight of others. Brokers are part of the corporate coffee system that breaks the connection between the consumer and farmer. Many times, brokers work like a “payday loan” place prepaying for a coffee harvest in advance at a fraction of the true value.
2b. How we can do better.
Ask your favorite coffee shop who supplies their beans? They may locally roast, but obviously, the bean is not locally grown, so ask where they got them? Are they a direct importer or do they use a broker? If they use a broker, ask which one? If they won’t tell you, find a coffee shop that has a transparent supply chain and support them.
3a. What is Wrong: Blends
Unfiltered truth: Blends like Breakfast Blend, Holiday Blend, and fortunate blend are used by corporations to comedies coffee and disconnect the consumer from the farmer. These blends are a mixture of cheap beans blended and marketed in a way to raise the retail price on the low end and most likely unethically source coffee beans.
3b. How we can do better.
Only drink single origin coffee that you can track back to the farm. It is easier than you think. Next time you are at your local coffee shop ask your barista, “What farm and region is the coffee from?” If they don’t know, ask if they can find out? If not, ask if there is a local coffee shop that does server ethically sourced single origin coffee and go there.
I would like to invite you to learn more on January 11th at the Labor Trafficking Food Chains Forum
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