Alert Expired: Update on Proctor and Gamble Fair Trade Coffee Campaign

Thanks to all of you who took action on Proctor & Gamble over fair trade coffee. It is important to use our collective influence as consumers to insist that companies increase their social responsibility!

P&G has promised to increase the quantity of free trade certified coffee it purchases. As of September 15, 2003, Millstone Coffee (a P&G brand) launched a new line of products:

• Millstone Mountain Moonlight Fair Trade Certified - Grown by democratically organized farmers in the mountains of Southern Mexico. The Fair Trade price is guaranteed by an internationally respected certification model that ensures family farmers receive a fair price - significantly higher than average - for their coffee.
• Millstone Cup of Excellence Signature Roast - A winner of the prestigious Cup of Excellence award recognizing the "best of the best" coffees grown in Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Very few coffees ever receive this honor and Millstone is the first major roaster to purchase and sell this extraordinary coffee nationwide.
• Millstone Rainforest Alliance Certified Signature Roast - A medium-dark roast from the slopes near Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. The Rainforest Alliance certification project is a leading certifier of sustainable coffee and evaluator of farms according to its rigorous environmental and social standards. Every bag of Rainforest Alliance Certified Roast comes from farms that are vital refuges for wildlife and peaceful places to work.

These coffees are available for purchase only on-line at this time, however. (see www.pg.com for details.)

P&G is also forming alliances with other corporations who work to increase Fair Trade options around the world. These include:

• Fair Trade Certification by TransFair USA. It is the only independent organization certifying Fair Trade products in the United States. Fair Trade assures quality from crop to cup with strict criteria for social and environmental standards backed by an internationally recognized monitoring system.
• The Cup of Excellence award, which recognizes the pinnacle of flavor and quality in specialty coffees grown in Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua and provides enormous economic benefits to participating coffee regions. To participate, coffee growers submit samples to a national, then international, invitation-only jury that evaluates every detail from aroma, flavor, and acidity, to body and balance. The winning coffees are sold at auction to the highest bidder at very high prices, which reward these quality farmers for their hard work and dedication.
• Collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance, which is an organization dedicated to helping farmers produce high quality beans in harmony with wildlife, promoting healthy ecosystems, protecting forests and rivers, and ensuring soil and water quality. In addition to visiting coffee farms annually to inspect environmental guidelines, the Rainforest Alliance also requires the following for all workers: fair wage or above, adequate housing, and access to education, medical care, public transportation, and recreational facilities.

Once again, these promising and progressive changes were made possible because of the actions of dedicated consumers! Please continue to be conscious of your coffee purchases and to make and effort to support Fair Trade whenever possible. Check back soon for more updates on how P&G are standing with us to increase the quality of life for coffee growers and the quality of coffee they provide to us consumers.