I also wanted to mention that even in the world of environmentalism, green living, and social justice, the certification of fair trade does have two schools of thought. One is that it is a good start in paying people what their products are worth and in ensuring that people work in a well maintained environment with humane working conditions. On the other hand, some people feel that the fair trade certification leaves out a good number of people who are following all the principles and procedures of fair trade, but they simply cannot afford the certification.

I understand both ways of thinking. I know that there are probably farms and producers who are fair trade in all practices and principles and everything but certification. I also know there are probably people who are fair trade in name only, that is they are doing the minimal amount necessary to maintain the certification and not doing anything above and beyond them. So, I’m not saying that fair trade ensures that you are buying from the best source or that your money is being used in the most wise way. I do think it’s a good beginning though. More importantly than trusting a government or an agency to certify the origins of your food is doing some research yourself and asking questions.

Meant to publish this last night but instead of publishing I saved it in my drafts folder

Yum. Coffee and chocolate. Coffee. Chocolate. Coffee and chocolate together. I need to stop right now, or I’ll need to end this post to go get some chocolate and brew a pot of coffee!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I attended a MOPS conference in October of last year. At that conference, I went to a session called “Brad, Angelina, and Oprah: Raising Kids Who Can Save The World.” The premise of the session was that too many times, Christians wait for a cause to become mainstream before embracing it.

Christianity at times has seemed to be completely opposed to environmentalism. However, we are called to take care of God’s creation which he has given us. Christians have also spent much time and money sending missionaries across the globe when there is suffering right in our own towns. How I feel about each of these issues could easily fill another blog post. I’m going to try to stick to coffee and chocolate and save the rest for another day.

One of the issues that Tracey Bianchi touched on at the MOPS conference was fair trade. What is fair trade? Fair trade is basically a (sometimes controversial) certification that is given when a farmer or artisan is able to follow certain principles which include:

• Fair prices
• Fair labor conditions
• Direct trade
• Domestic and transparent organizations
• Community development
• Environmental sustainability

–taken from TransFair USA Basic FAQs

For me, fair trade connects with several important Christian values. One is that people are taken care of. If I buy coffee or chocolate, it is not grown in the United States. The difference between a farmer growing coffee and fair trade coffee can mean the difference between earning $500 (non-fair trade) and $2000 a year (fair trade). That is a substantial difference. Also, somewhere around 80% of coffee grown with a fair trade certification is also organic.

Many people are familiar with organic and some of the ideas behind it. Organic generally means that something is grown or raised with minimal chemical input and in a way that is beneficial to the environment around it. In addition to being beneficial for the environment, workers who labor on organic farms are exposed to far fewer chemicals and other toxic substances.

All this brings me back to chocolate and coffee. I have decided that in the month of February, I want to only consume organic, fair trade coffee and chocolate. I have purposely chosen February because it is the month of Valentine’s Day and chocolate. I wanted to do this when it would require a sacrifice and not simply result in me buying more expensive chocolate while missing nothing.

Jason and I have talked several times about different coffees and how they taste. To him, each coffee is different. Some are smooth. Some are more bitter. Some are darker. To me, the only difference is if it’s made right or not. I really can’t tell much difference between an expensive coffee and a cheap one. I only know if it’s absolutely terrible, and the two times I can think of when that happened, it was operator error. So, by limiting myself to organic, fair trade coffee, I will primarily be saying that I am only going to have the coffee from my home which I know to be certified both. This means no impromptu stops at coffee shops unless they provide this option and no coffee at friends’ or family’s homes. Definite sacrifice!

For chocolate, I am hoping to have a little bit different experience. Instead of buying one type or one bar of chocolate and using that to sustain me for a month, I’m hoping to buy several types of chocolate and compare them. I picked up a bar of Green & Black milk chocolate today. This is organic chocolate that I have never tried before! When I bought it, I assumed it was fair trade. I had a little bit of trouble finding this information at first glance on their website, but they are fair trade certified! There may be a chocolate tasting party in my future, who knows?

While the reason I am initiating this experiment is because I want to do something, if only for a month, that impacts others in a positive way. I also want it to be a sacrifice to do it. I am hoping that this month will be an experience in taste, texture, and aromas that I have never experienced before.

Stay tuned, and I’ll have you drooling even more over chocolate and coffee!  If you’re interested in joining my experiment, leave a comment!  If you blog, I’ll link up to you, and if you don’t blog, you can send me e-mails and I’ll post your thoughts.

If you’re interested, here are a few links to information about fair trade and organic products:

Organic Coffee Reviews (With a side of social activism)

Fair Trade Certified | TransFairUSA

Grounds For Change | Organic Fair Trade Coffee

Marketplace | Chocolate