| In June of 2006, Doug and his daughter Jessica together opened Manhan Cafe, converting the former service station into a lovely place to grab a great cup of coffee, sit and read the paper, or check email on your laptop (free wireless internet). The Manhan Café is located on 72 Union Street in Easthampton, Massachusetts, right off the Nanhan Rail Trail. There is a parking lot at the cafe, making it an easy in-and-out stop for your morning.
Doug and Jessica are dedicated to making Manhan Cafe an active part of the growing Easthampton cultural community, offering a place for local artists to display their works and local musicians to perform. Doug hosts various events at the cafe: acoustic music, bluegrass, jazz, open mike nights, game nights, etc. The cafe seats about 25-30 people and the performers' area (in the front corner of the cafe) is very small. Both of these things make for a great, intimate listening environment - rewarding for both the listener and the performer. If attending an event, you are expected to order a drink or food while you are there, and put some money in the tip jar for the performers, or there may be a small cover charge.
What you may not know is that the Manhan Café serves only organic Fair Trade Coffee from Java Roasters of Greenfield as well as espresso, cappuccinos, lattes, teas, chai tea lattes, and Odwalla smoothies. In addition to coffee, the cafe offers pastries, scones, bagels, muffins and croissants from a variety of local bakeries.
Fair Trade is very important for the farmers who grow your delicious coffee. Fair Trade allows the farmers to deal as directly as possible with the people serving their coffee, which, in turn, allows the farmers to set their own prices instead of the middle man demanding a lower price than the farmer's can afford. Fair Trade allows the farmers and their employees to make a reasonable living wage. Fair Trade Farms also enforce laws against forced child labor and promote a safe working environment where workers are free to associate with who they want.
It is imperative for the US to promote Fair Trade especially in coffee, where the US consumes one fifth of the world's coffee making it the largest coffee consumer in the world. The minimum Fair Trade coffee can be bought at is $1.26 per pound, whereas coffee in general, averages between $0.60 and $0.70. The low prices at which coffee farmers are forced to sell their product at is not providing them enough income to sustain their farms and their families.
Buying only Fair Trade Coffee will force all coffee plantations to be Fair Trade certified, which will benefit thousands of struggling people trying to make a living by providing us with a delicious beverage will can be enjoyed at any time of day.
So support your local Fair Trade Coffee shop, Manhan Café and help both local and global farmers prosper.
All information gathered was obtained from www.globalexchange.org and www.transfairusa.orgManhan Cafe serves organic/fair-trade coffee
|
