impressive

Being the social lefty that I am, I feel very strongly about spending my money with companies that are committed to social justice. Granted, in our complex global economy it's really difficult to perfectly vote with our dollars especially when the supply chain is so opaque and it's hard to tell how labor was treated along each step of the production and distribution processes.

There are some markets, however, that are much easier to glean information from. And the fair trade movement, while certainly not perfect, has made an important start in insuring that producers are paid a fair wage for their labor and in helping buyers see the ultimate social effect and economic costs of their consumption.

Consequently, there are certain imported foodstuffs that I insist in buying only if they are certified fair trade. these include bananas, chocolate, and coffee. It is becoming increasingly easy to buy fair trade coffee. Here in the Twin Cities, we have a popular fair trade brand, Peace Coffee, that distributes to local restaurants and co-ops. There is another upper Midwest brand, Alterra, that my brother Patrick discovered when he visited one of their Milwaukee cafes. Alterra packages their coffee like the major national chains do, with a nitrogen flush, to keep the roasted coffee fresh longer. Of course, this means that there is a lot more packaging waste, but that's a topic for a another time. Alterra sells coffee through online, but they also distribute with the Milwaukee-based Rainbow's grocery store, one of which is in our neighborhood.

All of this goes to say that I do not make it a habit of frequenting the large national chains, including Starbucks and Caribou Coffee. Cheap, low quality robusta beans have always been a commodity in America and are used in the traditional domestic coffee brands. Starbucks in particular has popularized the more complex and flavorful arabica bean, but arabica, too,has become a commodity with the ubiquity of mass-produced espresso. Arabica is a much more fragile species that robusta and requires more labor-intensive cultivation. However,the major coffee house brands only ensure that select blends are fair trade and/or organic, but these do not include their espresso blends.

All of this goes to say that I never thought I would be tooting Starbucks' horn, but I have to give credit where credit is due.

A few years ago, I was the happy recipient of a stainless Starbucks Barista french press. I received the press from my brother Sean who, to my good fortune, was not yet a regular presser. I have used the press virtually every day for the last four years. Because it is extremely durable, I expect to use this press for the rest of my life. Literally. Needless to say, I was dismayed when the ill-designed knob broke off the top of the piston making it impossible to depress the filter without puncturing my palm.

I contacted Bodum, the company that manufactures the Barista press, via email, explaining my predicament and offering to pay for whichever parts I would need to repair the press. After three weeks, I hadn't heard back from Bodum and sent a second email to express my disappointment at receiving no response in that time. I then sent a copy of my original email to Starbucks, with an explanation that Bodum had not responded. As I did so, I had in my mind the story of Christine Ferrera who sent Starbucks customer service one response card daily for five years. Ferrera's experience was neither positive nor negative, but I wondered what type of response I would receive.

Needless to say, I was floored the next day when I received a call from a Bodum representative. I re-explained my situation, and the company shipped me a replacement part, free of charge. When I next checked my email, I had a note fropm Starbucks customer service saying that they had contacted Bodum and requested that I be called so that I my issue could be resolved. Once again, I am happily pressing away.

It's nice to know that some companies are seeing the economic and business importance of valuing individuals. I hope that this trend continues throughout the supply chain, and I expect that it will as consumers become increasingly aware of what happens toward the beginning of the chain. At least I hope that it does. And I'll drink a fair-trade shot of espresso to that hope.

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