Title: Preference for Triple Certified Coffee
Submitted by: the Committee on the Environment
Resolved that: The Committee on the Environment of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland at its 220th Annual Convention, encourages all churches and meetings of such diocese to use “Triple Certified Coffee” at their functions, especially during “coffee hours”, dinner meetings, regional council meetings, and diocesan functions.
Explanation
Coffee is big business. It's one of the most heavily traded commodities in the world. But for the majority of small coffee farmers, who live in rural communities in some of the poorest countries in the world, the benefits are small. The chain of events that lead from the farm to your cup is long and expensive: Processors, creditors, exporters, brokers, and a cast of middlemen —known to Latin American farmers as ‘coyotes’— can all come between you and the farmers before you get to get to your morning brew.
With world coffee prices constantly changing and “coyotes” paying the lowest prices possible, coffee farmers never know how much they'll get for their crops. Isolated from markets, they struggle just to make a simple living. The producers of a rich crop are often trapped in poverty.
But there is an alternative. Using internationally recognized fair trade standards, some coffee providers seek to balance the inequities found in the conventional coffee trade. Coffee is a leading source of income in the Developing World. Through fair trade, it can be a delicious and powerful tool to bring about positive change for small farmers and their families.
“Triple Certified Coffee” is defined as:
Several organizations provide triple certified coffee, which the Committee on the Environment notes at its display table. A notable one is the “Bishop's Blend,” offered by the National Church as a fundraiser as well as for individuals and parishes. The estimated additional cost per cup is $0.005.