May 18, 2006
A ‘fair’ cup of coffee in HUB’s Atrium
On May 15, the UW’s Department of Housing and Food Services (HFS) opened its first 100 percent Fair Trade Certified TM coffee outlet, the Atrium Café in the HUB.
The conversion of the Atrium to 100 percent Fair Trade was made possible by an agreement reached in February by HFS, Tully’s Coffee and the Fair Trade Coffee Coalition (FTCC) — a group of UW students, faculty and staff — under which Tully’s, the exclusive coffee provider to HFS, pledged to develop the company’s first ever Fair Trade CertifiedTM espresso blend.
Along with fair trade espresso, Tully’s is introducing regular — and eventually decaffeinated — versions of its new Fair Trade CertifiedTM Evergreen Blend drip coffee. These new coffees, in addition to Tully’s existing Compadre and Husky Blends, will be served at the Atrium, making it the first 100 percent Fair Trade café operated by HFS. Parnassus Café, a student-run non-profit enterprise located in the basement of the University’s Art Building, became the UW’s first ever 100 percent fair trade coffee shop when it made the switch in late March.
Since February’s agreement to develop a Fair Trade Certified TM espresso, HFS, FTCC and Tully’s have collaborated on several events to promote fair trade coffee at the UW, including a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony in February, a taste testing of the new espresso blend in April and this week’s Fair Trade Faire.
“The conversion of the Atrium to a 100 percent fair trade café is a tremendous milestone for the University of Washington,” said UW senior and FTCC member Jen Caldwell. “HFS and Tully’s have been extremely receptive to the campus community’s call for more fair trade options, and the establishment of a fair trade café in the student union building attests to that fact. This move gives students, faculty and staff the opportunity to improve the lives of coffee-growing families around the world through their everyday on-campus purchases.”
“Tully’s sources only the best coffees in the world. At the heart of this process are relationships built on sustainability, above fair trade prices and quality coffee,” said Rob Martin, vice president of merchandising and production for Tully’s Coffee. “We are thrilled that HFS and the UW Fair Trade Coffee Coalition have taken the extra step to expose the student population to the fair trade model and the issue of sustainability in the coffee supply chain.”
HFS is similarly enthusiastic about the establishment of the Atrium as a fair trade coffee shop. “The Atrium has become known for featuring many sustainable and fair trade products,” said Barbara Smith, marketing manager for HFS. “And, with its convenient central campus location in the HUB, selecting the Atrium to become a 100 percent certified fair trade café was a natural choice. We couldn’t have done this without Tully’s support and expertise. The espresso Tully’s developed for us is fantastic and exceeds all our expectations. We can’t wait for everyone to come on out to try it!” she added.
According to the FTCC, fair trade certification improves the standard of living for small-scale coffee farmers and their families in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia through cooperative production, a guaranteed fair price, direct trade relationships, the availability of advance credit and the funding of social programs. More than 80 percent of Fair Trade Certified TM coffee is also shade grown and certified organic, meaning that fair trade helps protect the land as well as the people who live and work on it.
