The next food-related holiday is Valentine's Day (no, I'm not counting Super Bowl Sunday!) , and just like everything else, our flowers and chocolate and even gifts can be organic too.
Rather than comb your local stores for what you and your sweetheart would like, why not let it come to you? Visit the web site for a list of providers in different parts of the world that can help you find just what you want. For example, in Australia, try Definitely Chocolate for chocolates and Rainbow Designs for fun gifts
In the US and Canada, check out Chocolate Source. In the US, look to Chocolate Herbals for something different or Organic Bouquet for those flowers.
Something new: I've beefed up the amazon.com storefront so that you have easy access to selections of more than food. I've loaded up on chocolates on the front page, but by searching the categories on the side you can go directly to featured items in Apparel and Accessories, Baby, Beauty, Books, Health and Personal Care, and Magazine Subscriptions. If you don't see what you're looking for, just click on the "Powered by Amazon.com" graphic and you'll go to the site itself.
Here's something new for me - want to know what I find and when I find it? Follow me on Twitter! Look for me as socaldebbie.
Looking for something else in particular? Let me know and I'll see what I can find.
Is fair fair?
While I'm buying organic, I like to look for fair trade items as well. This applies to more than just food, but on all kinds of products produced by the less developed world and sold to the more developed. But I like to present different points of view, and here's one that isn't complimentary to fair trade. It refers to coffee in particular, but it seems the principles would be the same. See what you think. (Note: question to those outside the US. Does the Fair Trade movement advertise where you are? See point #4.)
Questioning The Truth About Fair Trade Coffee:
by: George Moore
Some Interesting Facts and questions about Fair trade gourmet coffee:
1. The targeted gourmet coffee farmer who needs fair trade owns a farm less than 10 acres; his family runs and works the farm, they live in a third world country or remotely up in the mountains of a central America country like Brazil. They get about $.65 cents per pound without fair trade and make less than $10,000 annually. They desperately need fair trade to get out of their poverty.
2. Without phones, newspapers, television, telephones, cell phones, and in most cases running water and electricity - how does this farmer even know about " Fair Trade" in the first place?
3. With no savings; no banks; no loans; and no finances how does this farmer pay the fees to get certified fair trade?
4. How much advertising does Fair Trade do out side the US? Zero! If they did where and which media would they use?
5. Interesting most of the Fair Trade Coffee Companies in foreign lands are owned by Americans or large co-ops partially owned and funded by Americans.
6. Fair Trade doubles the price of coffee the farmer recieves but does nothing to ensure the laborers who work the farm receive any more money. Hence all the large farms owned by Americans but worked by locals help the Americans get much richer but do nothing for the local coffee workers.
7. Fair Trade does not do anything to ensure the coffee is any better or better quality - it only ensures that the price is higher.
8. Fair Trade is not recognized in China or Russia or Japan or any of the coffee countries.
9. Fair Trade has helped many Americans feel much better about themselves.
10. It has done very little to help the farmers who need it the most.
In summary Fair Trade makes us Americans feel good about ourselves; helps us pay higher prices for poorer coffee; helps the big and rich farmers get richer. It does nothing to help the pheasant farmer we dream it is helping. And it gives us a false marketing ploy that Fair Trade is actually a better quality coffee i=when in fact it only means its a more expensive gourmet coffee. And really it gives us a false sense of self worth and that we are helping poor farmers when we are not.It causes us to pay too much for bad coffee and to think Fair Trade has anything to do with "quality" when it doesn't. It doesn't do anything to help the labor pool who work on the coffee farms nor stop children from working on coffee farms. But it has raised up the price of coffee and our awareness. Only if it could be more truthful and helpful.
Mission Grounds Gourmet Coffee was founded by Boake Moore is an IT Sales engineer by trade.The non profit gourmet coffee called Mission Grounds Gourmet Coffee - http://www.missiongrounds.com It donates all its profits to helping orphans and impoverished children. THE Costa Rica Coffee and the best gourmet coffee in the world -surely the most satisfying cup of coffee in the world.
by: George Moore
Some Interesting Facts and questions about Fair trade gourmet coffee:
1. The targeted gourmet coffee farmer who needs fair trade owns a farm less than 10 acres; his family runs and works the farm, they live in a third world country or remotely up in the mountains of a central America country like Brazil. They get about $.65 cents per pound without fair trade and make less than $10,000 annually. They desperately need fair trade to get out of their poverty.
2. Without phones, newspapers, television, telephones, cell phones, and in most cases running water and electricity - how does this farmer even know about " Fair Trade" in the first place?
3. With no savings; no banks; no loans; and no finances how does this farmer pay the fees to get certified fair trade?
4. How much advertising does Fair Trade do out side the US? Zero! If they did where and which media would they use?
5. Interesting most of the Fair Trade Coffee Companies in foreign lands are owned by Americans or large co-ops partially owned and funded by Americans.
6. Fair Trade doubles the price of coffee the farmer recieves but does nothing to ensure the laborers who work the farm receive any more money. Hence all the large farms owned by Americans but worked by locals help the Americans get much richer but do nothing for the local coffee workers.
7. Fair Trade does not do anything to ensure the coffee is any better or better quality - it only ensures that the price is higher.
8. Fair Trade is not recognized in China or Russia or Japan or any of the coffee countries.
9. Fair Trade has helped many Americans feel much better about themselves.
10. It has done very little to help the farmers who need it the most.
In summary Fair Trade makes us Americans feel good about ourselves; helps us pay higher prices for poorer coffee; helps the big and rich farmers get richer. It does nothing to help the pheasant farmer we dream it is helping. And it gives us a false marketing ploy that Fair Trade is actually a better quality coffee i=when in fact it only means its a more expensive gourmet coffee. And really it gives us a false sense of self worth and that we are helping poor farmers when we are not.It causes us to pay too much for bad coffee and to think Fair Trade has anything to do with "quality" when it doesn't. It doesn't do anything to help the labor pool who work on the coffee farms nor stop children from working on coffee farms. But it has raised up the price of coffee and our awareness. Only if it could be more truthful and helpful.
About The Author
George MooreMission Grounds Gourmet Coffee was founded by Boake Moore is an IT Sales engineer by trade.The non profit gourmet coffee called Mission Grounds Gourmet Coffee - http://www.missiongrounds.com It donates all its profits to helping orphans and impoverished children. THE Costa Rica Coffee and the best gourmet coffee in the world -surely the most satisfying cup of coffee in the world.
1 comment:
That is a great article. I think too often we try to feel good about ourselves talking the Free Trade talk or touting "I give 1% to the Planet" and so on. Have we forgoten about the good ol' USA? We make products and services too. And believe it or not, most are very good and at competitive prices.
Here's just one such company. www.brandofthefree.net for American made 100% Organic tees.
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