Fair Trade News: St. Anne and Fair Trade FEDECARES Coffee

For years, St. Anne’s Parish in Pleasant Prairie has had a special bond with La Sagrada Familia, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's sister parish in the Dominican Republic. The story below is from a parishioner, and tells how she, and others from St. Anne’s, found a way to combine their commitment to Sagrada Familia with their commitment to Fair Trade.

“Fair Trade News: How St. Anne has Made a Difference.”

“In 2006, when Linda Davis, Mike Stanczak and I were planning our trip to La Sagrada Familia in the Dominican Republic, it was suggested that we bring back some coffee for St. Anne. So we wondered… Are there any Fair Trade cooperatives in the D.R.? A little research led us to FEDECARES who graciously invited us to meet with them. We learned on our visit that FEDECARES, which was founded in 1985 and became Fair Trade certified in 1992, includes over 6500 members in 13 provinces (including Azua where our sister parish is located). Their mission is to bring economical and social stability to its member families in order to improve their quality of life. They do this by providing members with technical assistance to improve coffee quality, implementing healthcare programs, supporting education of youth and adults and providing necessary credit. We returned from our trip excited to share the FEDECARES story and with suitcases full of their coffee for St. Anne. For the last year we have proudly served FEDECARES coffee for Hospitality after Mass.”

“We also learned on our visit, that while the market for FEDECARES coffee has been steadily growing in the Europe and Australia, it has been slow-going in the US. We decided maybe we could help it along. The FEDECARES information we received was forwarded to Just Coffee in Madison upon our return, and while they were very interested, we didn’t hear any more from them…until now. Just Coffee is now importing and roasting coffee beans from FEDECARES for sale on-line and in stores that carry their coffee. For each 12 oz. package of FEDECARES coffee purchased, $1.50 goes directly to the grower. Such a simple question… Are there any Fair Trade cooperatives in the D.R.? – what a difference it’s made!”

“St. Anne’s Fair Trade Ministry sells coffee the first weekend of the month after all masses. In addition to the FEDECARES ground coffee from Just Coffee, we also we sell their Peruvian Decaf and Solidarity Blend whole bean as we continue to make a difference.”

Story submitted by Sandy Milligan