Are you sure you know what kind of coffee you're making? Direct trade in raw coffee beans

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A few days ago, I went to Taichung to visit the elders of direct trade. Is it direct trade or fair trade? It doesn't matter, what matters is the truth we see and the process of solving the problem. Direct trade means "directly" entering the producing area with the standard and spirit of fair trade, building rural areas, requiring crop quality, and maintaining a sustainable relationship. The eldest brother has long ploughed the Mantenin producing area in Sumatra, carried out construction and established local trade relations in a very friendly peasant way, and then brought beans back to Taiwan. The dilemma to be solved is the poverty of the production areas and the poverty of small farmers.

We talked from the processing process to the situation of the middleman to the situation of the local market to the situation of the Taiwan market. There is a lot of resonance and a lot of impact, a lot of learning and a lot of ideas. "Coffee farmers have no subjectivity," said the eldest brother. As I often mentioned in my speeches, coffee farmers have no bargaining power for the sale of their products. What the eldest brother means is that coffee farmers have no ability to determine the main body of their own farming and life. So the question is, how can we intervene and shake the middlemen and importers with a complete structure but not a fluid structure? It takes time. So what we can actually help is very limited at present. "but it doesn't matter how little it is."

Brother said. The eldest brother lives in the east of Taichung, a very simple place. I can see that he is tired and helpless, as well as his sick body as a result of the long-term war with the capital coffee market and the injury of willing people in China. But also see the look of unwilling to give up. I am relatively young, when we, people who trade coffee directly, see that the coffee market is true or false, but continue to grow under huge commercial interests; see ordinary consumers or baristas, self-righteous understanding and short-term recognition.

Looking back, I saw the struggle of life in the producing area. "are you sure you know what kind of coffee you're making? "there is still too much to do; my feathers need to be fully grown. In the end, I just want to invite you, think again. If we in Taiwan know how to fight for labor rights and feel that all our hard work and efforts in the workplace should be fairly rewarded. Well, when drinking coffee, maybe just think that all the labor behind this cup of coffee should have a slightly fair return.

A good cup of coffee should start with the heart of every link.