#FairTradeFriday

Coffee. It's more a verb than a noun these days. In fact, the other day I had coffee with a friend...we both had tea drinks! But we still referred to it as "having coffee."

Coffee: a brief history, how it gets to your cup (and what do those labels mean?)

The facts say that 125 million people worldwide depend on coffee for their livelihood - and no wonder! Here's the top 10 countries in the world that consume the most coffee....nope the United States doesn't land in the top 10, but doesn't it feel like our nation drinks truckloads of coffee each day?!

Anyway, it's safe to say the world loves its coffee. But I think we might all love it a little more if we knew that 125 million people working to bring us the coffee were getting fair treatment, fair wages, fair working environment. At least I know the coffee I drink tastes better when I know that everyone involved in making sure I get that cup of coffee was treated with dignity and equality.

So today while you are, most likely, sipping your hot coffee or slurping your iced coffee think about the journey that bean took to get to you. Love your coffee? Love people more.

5 Reasons You Should ONLY Buy Fair-Trade, Organic Coffee
What is Fair Trade Coffee, and Should You Buy It?

So what to do?

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” (unknown)

Here's a few ideas:

(there's a few "best of" lists but if you compare all the lists and note that a brand or two show up on more than one list I would say that one is definitely worth trying!)

Our Guide to Buying Ethical Coffee

Taste Test Reviews

15 of the best fair trade coffee brands

Top 10: Best Organic Coffee Brands For Coffee Connoisseurs

14 Fair Trade Coffee Brands Worth Waking Up For

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April 5, 2015

The Feast of Firstfruits & Easter Go for Broke Day If it scares you this is the day to go for it no matter what. One Day Without Shoes Day Today is to raise global awareness for children’s health and education. Why shoes? Because shoes help protect from bacteria in the dirt, rusty nails, dirty needles and shoes enable feet to withstand the long distances most children in developing countries need to walk to get to school. Join TOMS One for One There is plenty of criticism out there for TOMS and its short term solutions. Critics don't even buy the "at least they are doing something" statement. However, you have to start somewhere. And every bit of awareness helps something go from short term to long term. We all have a part to play. Read a Road Map Day One of the many reasons I would stink at The Amazing Race is because I never did learn how to read a road map well. I remember doing worksheets and class lessons on maps and I was able to skate by ...

Butter someone up

There are two probable origins for this idiom and I think both are equally plausible. The first one is that when you spread butter on bread you are buttering it up like one would do when trying to flatter someone. The second is in ancient India there was a practice of throwing balls of butter at statues to ask for favor, i.e. buttering them up. ( source ) When we use the phrase today we generally mean that extreme flattery is used to gain information or favor. It's not always necessarily a compliment.

A dime a dozen

"It's said that in the year 1796, the first U.S. dimes were produced for circulation. Hence, it would make sense for this phrase to originate sometime after." Read more here . Today the phrase carries the meaning that something is cheap or without value if it can be lumped in with other similar or exactly-like things. It's more of an insult than anything.

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