Taking coffee seriously - November 2002

(my blog post from Friday, November 22, 2002)

Coffee Measure Tests Berkeley’s Taste for Fair Trade

Local coffee shops won out over small Central American farmers as voters overwhelmingly rejected the closely watched Fair Trade coffee initiative. Measure O, would have required that all coffee served in Berkeley be organic or certified Fair Trade.

Its defeat in Berkeley signals the difficulty of selling liberal economic programs when the impact is local.

While opponents of Measure O usually support environmental and social justice movements, on this issue, they focused closer to home. Proponents wanted to protect small-business owners in the third world. Critics were concerned about small business in Berkeley.

#politics - #business - #activism - #local - #beverage - #coffee - #environment - #moronism