Brown Blood

Some claim that coffee is the #2 traded commodity right behind crude oil and some claim it's not #2, but is in the top 10. Either way, it's an impressive position to hold. Although I do come across some folks who don't drink coffee it's hard to argue that it does not touch most lives in some way shape or form.
From coffee growers, to harvesters, to processors, to coops, brokers, exporters, importers, roasters, cafes, baristas and more - coffee makes an impact on the world.

I can remember when the only way I could stomach coffee was to take in the form of a mocha, where the flavor of chocolate prevailed. When Starbuck's Coffee shops began to spring up in cities everywhere, I jumped on board. My standard drink became a triple-tall-no-fat-caramel-macchiato-one-pump-of-vanilla twice and sometimes thrice daily. Macchiato? I had no idea what I was ordering other than I knew it was a sweet treat with some sugar and caffeine.

A few years went by and one day by chance, I had a plain old cup of coffee from a little roaster in Oakland, CA. I found that I needed to add no milk and no sugar. This was the beginning of discovering coffee for what it could be. I began to research who was roasting what and trying a variety of bean types from different parts of the world. I also remember the first time I had an espresso that led to an epiphany. The little sip I took was creamy and then nutty with an actual burst of sweet lemon at the finish. I was hooked.

The next phase of discovering coffee has led my life down a new path. I learned a while ago that coffee is actually a seed, not a bean. It's an agricultural commodity grown by farmers who run operations from the small to the gigantic. Now that I have begun to question who plants, nurtures, harvests sells and sustains a livelihood from coffee, my eyes are opening to a new world. One aspect of the industry involves women who often participate in the labor intensive processing of coffee who receive very little  in return. Things like fair wages, decent housing or health care are not part of the equation. Many women (as well as men and children) are often left without a way to live sustainable lives.

There is no shortage of battles from which to choose to focus on when it comes to social justice. I can question where and under what conditions any number of products I purchase have come from and were made. My focus is on coffee as it is a commodity that touches the world. One portrayal of the harvest season recently caught my eye. It covers the thin months - a time when small coffee farmers must survive after they sell their raw coffee. A 6 minute version of the short film is here:

To see the full version you can visit here:
After the Harvest: The Fight Against Hunger in the Coffeelands: Watch