"Dolphin Safe Tuna" - A Lesson For Today's "Socially Conscious" Coffee Consumer?

You’ve probably heard the old saying: ‘knowledge is power.’ And when hundreds, - thousands, and even millions of people gain the same knowledge and - make informed decisions, the world can indeed change for the better.

Consider canned tuna fish. In the 1980s, following graphic news reports about countless dolphins dying in the tuna fleet's fishing nets, some people stopped buying tuna. This groundswell led to a nationwide demand for “Dolphin-Safe” tuna. Consumers exercised their power to spur some companies to change fishing procedures and ethics to prevent this needless slaughter.

Over the past several years - thanks in part to news media, other enlightened roasters, and organizations such as the National Audubon Society and Rainforest Alliance - that same social consciousness is percolating in our industry.

Much like environmentalists, socially conscious coffee drinkers can send a strong message to roasters/ retailers. Consumers can urge roasters to:

• Establish "social contracts" with farms that include multi-year fixed prices well above the cost of production.


• Provide basic amenities (nutrition, health care, education, housing, sanitary living and working conditions) for workers.


• Provide direct payment and management of materials and services to coffee workers/coffee communities - the approach used by the Rogers Family Coffee Companies - rather than merely donating a percentage of sales to farms.


• Consumers can urge retailers, including large supermarket chains, to purchase coffee and products that meet the above standards.

A modern adage urges consumers to "think globally, act locally." Applied to our industry, thinking globally means understanding that coffee is much more than a means of getting through the daily grind.