Lessons learned...

Many of you know that over the new year I spent 10 days in Guatemala with my good friend Wes Bergmann. I wrote about the details of our trip here. (The local paper wrote about it as well.) Our purpose was combining a bit of vacation with some research into the idea of "Fair Trade Coffee". Wes, like me, is skeptical of these great ideas that are going to make a huge difference in the world (as well as make a lot of money for those who market them). I have seen the evil in the human heart all too clearly (I have a close up view of the one I have) to have much idealism left. So we wanted to check out the system, talk to the farmers, turn over the fair trade rocks and see what creatures live underneath. And we did. We talked with ...

• Employees of Finca Filadelfia, a large coffee farm that sells almost exclusively to Starbucks.
• Coffee roasters and coffee shop owners, (Fernando of Fernando's Kaffee made us think about what he called Smart Trade Coffee. Mike, from Crossroads Cafe (see here as well) in Panajachel stressed the benefits of direct buying. On a related note, both of these guys make a great cup of coffee. If you're ever in Guatemala you should stop in. And then there was Tony in Antigua...you'll just have to ask for the story about that one.)
• And even smaller farmers affiliated with the Co-op Maya Ixil in Santa Avelina, Quiche, Guatemala. (For a neat article about Santa Avelina check out this.) We visited one of the farms of a small producer (@ 1200 lbs of coffee a year) as well. That's where the picture was taken.

As I reflect on this trip there are several things that I have come to believe.

First, "Fair Trade", like most movements or systems, isn't perfect. In fact, there is corruption happening at many levels. Surprise, surprise. It, like most systems, is made up of fallible human beings. Funny how that happens.

Second, the imperfect system doesn't absolve me of a responsibility to purchase wisely. Miguel, the farmer we visited doesn't make much money off the coffee he grows (just over $1200 USD/year), but if he didn't sell via Fair Trade he would probably only make half as much. When your income is that low...every bit counts. Fair Trade may have it's problems, but it makes a huge difference in Miguel's life.

Finally, if you want to follow Jesus then you have to at least be aware of some basic economic issues. Jesus said that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also (Mt. 6:21) and while that may not mean exactly what we think it to mean it does remind us that what we do with our stuff reflects the concerns of our heart. We have to begin to educate ourselves in regards to the ramifications of our purchases. Just read Amos 6:4-7 if you have any doubts that we need to think about how our lifestyle influences the poor and needy -

"You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. ⁵ You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. ⁶ You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph."

And that's why I'm writing this. I've been challenged to begin to think on a more global scale when it comes to what I buy and what I own. It's pretty complicated to figure it all out and I have no answers yet, but I think that wrestling with the issues and not ignoring them is helping to change me into a better follower of Jesus. So think it over...are you willing to look past your purchases to the world that they are creating? When it comes to coffee I am learning that "You are what you...drink."

If you want more about our trip you can bop on over to Wes' blog here.