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The
groundhog may have seen his shadow this month, but
here at Peace Coffee, we're looking forward to an
end to this dreary, freezing cold winter stuff, so
we can get out there and get cycling! In the
meantime, we're working hard to spread the good
word about Fair Trade to more folks throughout the
Twin Cities and beyond.
In
this month's issue of Fair Grounds, we've
got a fascinating piece from Peace Coffee staffer
Anna Canning on her visit to Mut Vitz with
Cooperative Coffees on the 10-year anniversary of
the Zapatista uprising. We've also got some comic
relief from Brad, our bike delivery guy, as well a
an article on the work of the Green Institute here
in Minneapolis, a recipe, a Fair Trade fact, and a
brand spanking new trivia question. Go on now --
grab a cup of your favorite Peace Coffee brew and
settle down for a good read!
(Back
to Headlines)
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by
Anna Canning, Peace Coffee
 This
winter, Coop Coffees’ annual winter harvest-time
visit to our producers in Chiapas was timed to
coincide with an event that does not happen every
year–the ten-year anniversary of the Zapatista
uprising. As part of that commemoration, the
delegation explored the broader context of Mut
Vitz, the Zapatista coop that grows our Bird
Mountain coffee. In the course of a week, we met
with several non-profits in San Christobal,
traveled into the highlands to celebrate New
Year’s & the 10th and 20th anniversaries of
the Zapatistas at Oventic, and met w/ coffee
growers from autonomous communities.
 Ten
years ago, at midnight as the calendars changed to
January 1, 1994, the Zapatistas announced
themselves to the world, taking over 6 large towns
in the state of Chiapas, including San Christobal
de las Casas. Ten years later, the square occupied
by the Zapatistas is filled with women hawking
blouses, blankets and beautiful embroidery and
tourists from all over Mexico & the world. In
the northeast corner of the square, the EZLN (Ejercito
Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional or Zapatista Army
of National Liberation) has a booth selling books,
t-shirts, embroidery created by their women’s
cooperatives, boots and cigars produced in their
operations at Oventic, and even commemorative
Marcos lighters. On every corner, children sell
dolls, key chains with masked figures carrying
little wooden guns.
Meeting
with NGOs in San Christobal, we saw another face
of the Zapatista struggle, the struggle of
Mexico’s indigenous for rights and dignity. Ten
years after the uprising, the problems confronting
Mexico’s indigenous have not gone away. In San
Christobal, we met with four organizations whose
missions help rural indigenous populations address
the challenges they find in their communities.
Read
more…
(Back
to Headlines)
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Bill Harris, Cooperative Coffees
Scott
Patterson writes:
In the midst of one of the biggest snowfalls
Minnesota had seen this winter, I took off for
Guatemala to visit with the farmers of APECAFORMM.
Bill Harris, founder of Cooperative
Coffees, made this trip as well, and it was
especially entertaining and worthwhile to have the
opportunity to travel with him. Enjoy his trip
report about our incredible farmer partners, crazy
chickens, bumpy car rides and much more.
 As
my plane circled Guatemala City, I counted (using
my fingers, of course) how many years had passed
since my first, rather spontaneous trip to this
beautiful country. Almost seven years! I honestly
can’t believe that so much time has gone by
since Dick talked me into joining his Habitat for
Humanity Global Village work team in April 1997
and introduced me to a coffee farmer.
Walking
through Guatemala customs, I remembered the
chaotic scene that would greet me just outside the
airport – offers for taxis, hotels, hostels,
buses and all of the other services that follow
the international tourist trail. Just before
leaving for the Atlanta airport, I’d sent an
email to Lorena at the Dos Lunas Hostel in
Guatemala City asking if they had a room for the
night. As I exited the airport, I got my answer.
Bouncing above the crowd was the "Dos Lunas"
sign and my lift to a relatively quiet night in
the city.
Read
more…the good stuff is still to come!
(Back
to Headlines)
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by
Brad, our intrepid bike delivery guy
 "It’s
not the cold so much as the snow." -- esoteric
bicycle delivery wisdom
Winter
is a trying time for us Minnesotans. It’s our chance to
experience some pretty ridiculous weather and a chance to
hurl ourselves headlong into the brash masochism of winter
activities.
This
year I’ve spent a lot of time outdoors because. . .well,
it’s my job.
As
cabin fever sets in across the city it becomes imperative
that enough coffee is supplied to stave off the hardcore
winter blues. That’s why three days a week I’m out on
my bike, delivering coffee beans to happy brightly lit
grocery stores and friendly neighborhood cafes.
 Everyday
I encounter people who seem concerned about the
rationality of my chosen profession. On the nastiest days,
I get pastries and hot drinks offered to me regularly -- a
definite perk and an open invitation to linger indoors and
chat with folks, usually about the weather. Though it
seems like bragging to admit it, for me this winter has
been full of revelatory moment regarding my own physical
capacities, like riding 40 miles on a day that barely saw
negative 15 degrees. A day so cold that my breath froze
into a five-inch long icicle that dangled from my face
mask.
Snow,
of course, is problematic. A modest snowfall will reduce
me to a sobbing wreck if I’m dragging the trailer
through it. A couple of weeks back I conceded a
well-earned surrender to slick roads, snow banks, deep
drifts, and myriad agonies on a run to the Wedge Coop and
the French Meadow Café. Lindsey, the coffee buyer at
French Meadow, donated a whole bag of pastries to my
emotional recovery. The next day I was back on the horse.
In
summary, the good things about winter are hot beverages,
increased fat intake and night walks in fresh snow. The
bad thing about winter is people who think winter is a bad
thing.
Stay
tuned for more reports on the trials and tribulations of
our intrepid Biker Brad...
(Back
to Headlines)
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by
Andrew Lambert, Program Coordinator, The Green
Institute
Note:
The
Green Institute is the organization responsible
for the "solarization" of the building
that houses Peace Coffee. They make our work
environment greener and because of the extreme
temps the past month we've been supplying them
with hot coffee every morning.
 The
Green Institute is an entrepreneurial
environmental non-profit organization that is
currently in the process of installing the largest
photovoltaic solar panel (PV) system in the state
of Minnesota. The installation is scheduled to be
completed by March 1st. The majority of
the labor is being done by volunteers from all
around the Twin Cities metro area. After three
weeks of work, a total of 322 volunteer hours have
been logged. We expect to log another 300 before
the completion of the installation. On behalf of
the Green Institute and its board of directors, we
are extremely grateful for all of the volunteers
who, despite sub zero temperatures, are giving us
their time and energy to make this exciting
project happen.
Innovative
Power Systems has been contracted to install the
36.5 kW PV system on the roof of the Phillips Eco
Enterprise Center — or "PEEC" for
short. The building is located at 2801 21st
Avenue South in the Phillips community of
Minneapolis. The system will produce enough
electricity to power 5 homes and will be comprised
of 800 — 43 watt solar panels. The panels are
thin-film membrane encased in tempered glass.
More...
(Back
to Headlines)
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Carlos
Fuentes, novelist and member of the official
Mexican Commission for Human Rights, speaks to the
political problems in Chiapas:
"With
a state that could be prosperous, with fertile
land, abundances for the majority of men and
women, it is only because of the local government
and its collusion with the powers of exploitation,
and the indifference of the federal government
that we see such poverty. Cocoa, coffee, wheat
corn, virgin forests, and abundant pastures --
only a minority enjoy the rent of these products
and if someone protests this situation they are
grabbed, imprisoned, violated, killed and the
situation continues."
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Fair
Grounds is produced by:
Cooperative
Coffees
Contact
Information:
Orders
and General Information
Phone - 612.870.3440 or 1.888.324.7872
Fax - 612-677-3989
E-Mail - info@peacecoffee.com
Web - http://www.peacecoffee.com
Peace
Coffee Crew*:
Anna
Canning
Beth Backen
Katie
Harrod
Rachael Hiltsley
Melanee Meegan
Michelle Ramier
TJ Semanchin
Scott Patterson
*We
work together to get the coffee out to our customers.
Although we have specific job titles, we all take turns
switching roles and putting in time where it's needed
most.
Peace
Coffee Bikers*:
Brad
Wilson
*Our bikers pack a mean trailer full of coffee. They are
speedy as speedy gets. Watch out, when they are on the
street, they mean business!
Fair
Grounds is designed by:
Starstruck
Design
335 West Gill Road
Gill, MA 01376
Contact
Information:
Don Kruger - dkruger@starstruckdesign.com
Lynn Nichols - lnichols@starstruckdesign.com
Phone - 413.863.7752
Fax - 413-863-7752
Web -
http://www.starstruckdesign.com
You
are receiving your Fair Grounds e-newsletter
because you told us you wanted to get it, or a good
friend of yours suggested to us that you would like to
get it. If you like it, let us know. If you want to
suggest ways that we can make it better, let us know.
Our e-mail is info@peacecoffee.com
If
you would like to unsubscribe to the Fair Grounds
E-Newsletter because:
- You may have more than one e-mail address on our list.
- Your e-mail address may have changed.
- You're going on a six month visit of Latin American
Coffee Cooperatives (Take us with you).
- or any other reason
simply send an e-mail to: newsletter-off@peacecoffee.com
and put your e-mail address in the subject line.
Remember,
you are always welcome to visit our website at http://www.peacecoffee.com
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