Fair trade coffee focus of upcoming lecture

It’s not breaking news that college students consume a great deal of coffee throughout the school year, but many people, not just students, don’t know exactly where their coffee comes from — and the answer isn’t Starbucks.

On Wednesday, November 5, Grand Valley State University's Department of Geography and Planning is hosting Chris Treter, director of Higher Grounds Trading, to speak about how the coffee people drink impacts the livelihoods of coffee farmers and their environments across the globe.

“Connected by Coffee: The Future of Fair Trade”
Wednesday, November 5 at 5:30 p.m.
Lake Michigan Hall, room 176, Allendale Campus

“The purpose of the event is to have a speaker with real-life experience from many countries working with coffee farmers, some of which benefit from fair trade and others who are not part of fair trade programs,” said Jim Penn, associate professor of geography and planning at Grand Valley.

“Fair trade” refers to the organized social movement whose stated goals are to help producers of certain products, like coffee, in developing countries achieve better trading conditions and to promote sustainability.

“We wanted to present a critical look at fair trade coffee, the realities of coffee farming and the pros and cons of this type of trade and coffee farming in general,” said Penn.

Treter’s presentation will also include a video of his recent work with women who farm coffee in the Congo and a discussion of what work is being done to help farmers worldwide.

Penn said he hopes those in attendance think more about the coffee they consume, how it’s produced, where it comes from and how consumers in West Michigan can impact the lives of people across the globe.

“Grand Valley students consume large amounts of coffee, as do college students across the country,” said Penn. “They are concerned about the coffee they drink and its social and environmental impacts.”

Higher Grounds Trading is an organic, fair trade coffee roasting company based in Traverse City. Treter is also one of the founders of On the Ground, a non-profit organization supporting community development in farming regions across the globe.

For more information, contact Jim Penn at (616) 331-3065 or [email protected].