Happy Holidays from The Coffee Trust
As we approach a new year and the start of a new decade, we've been reflecting on how far we've come since our founding in 2008, and where we hope to go in the years ahead.
It's no secret that despite a recent uptick in coffee prices, they remain disastrously low for producers. In fact, considering inflation, they're lower than they were a generation ago. If we expect to create a more sustainable coffee trade, we must break the boundaries that we have created for ourselves. We have to do things differently.
Over the past 11 years, you've supported health care, food sovereignty, education, agricultural development, and economic diversification for coffee producers and their families. Next year, we're turning our focus to helping our Guatemalan partners earn additional income by taking a giant step into the U.S. marketplace.
We're working with CocoMiel to bring coffee, honey, and bean-to-bar chocolate into U.S. markets. Half of CocoMiel's net profits go back to producers, and the company is a significant contributor to The Coffee Trust.
Our programming in the coming year will prioritize the honey project, working with CopiChajulense to increase the number of beekeepers, improve their productivity, and establish a fluid line of supply into the U.S. We are also actively researching ways to reduce and offset our organization's carbon footprint, as well as ways those at each step of the coffee supply chain can do the same.
Would you consider making an end-of-year contribution? By doing so, you will help keep our projects going, and help coffee producers in Guatemala remain coffee producers, at home with their families and their farms.
Please stay tuned for more updates as we transition into the new year, and don't hesitate to reach out. We'd love to hear from you.
Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season,
Bill Fishbein
Founder and Executive Director