Villanova Students Show their Social Consciousness By Brining Fair Trade Certifiedâ coffee to Our Campus
Joanna Sherman ‘02

This past December Villanova Dining Services began serving Fair Trade Certifiedâ coffee in all student dining halls bringing Villanova students one step closer in their movement to make Fair Trade the primary coffee served on campus.  The movement started over a year ago by Sofia Pappas and Neil Barratt, who since have added Fair Trade coffee to the menus of all Holy Grounds sites.  With the student’s hard work petitioning and educating the public on the issue, the Villanova community will be able to actively take part in an important global cause. 

“What is Fair Trade Certifiedâ coffee?” is a commonly asked question among the Villanova community who see signs hanging above Holy Grounds that advertise Peet’s brand of Fair Trade coffee.  Fair Trade Certifiedâ coffee is guaranteed to fairly pay the small coffee growers at a minimum rate of $1.26 per pound when they would otherwise be forced to accept payments of $.30-.50 per pound from the middlemen in their country. This is accomplished by directly connecting the producers and businesses, getting rid of the unnecessary middlemen.  Fair Trade Certifiedâ coffee is grown by 300 cooperative in 20 countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa, increasing the standard of living for the small coffee farmers, so they can afford adequate credit, housing, education and healthcare for their families. Fair Trade also encourages their coffee growers to farm in conditions that are economically sound, such organic and shade grown.  The coffee is grown under the natural forest canopy; therefore it does not harm wildlife habitat and decreases the need for pesticides.

The idea to introduce Fair Trade Certifiedâ coffee to Villanova was originated by Laura Mertz who discovered the issue while working on Hunger Awareness Week in 2000. After her graduation Sofia Pappas and Neil Barratt took action. Last fall the students met with the executive director of Trans Fair, a third party certification for Fair Trade that educates consumers about the issue, Paul Rice, and small coffee farmer from Nicaragua, Santiago Rivera, who told them about the importance of Fair Trade coffee.  Sofia recalls Rivera’s experiences, “working with Trans Fair he now has a slab of cement under his house when he used to live in the dirt.”  The day after the meeting Sofia and Neil organized a petition to get Fair Trade coffee on Villanova’s campus.  After gathering about 600 signatures, they brought their point to Tim Dietzler, of Villanova Dining Services, who was very receptive to the idea. By July 2001, Peet’s brand of Fair Trade coffee added to the menu of all Holy Grounds sites on campus.   Then in December Tim Dietzler, in maintaining Villanova Dining Services contract with Sara Lee Corporation, introduced their line of Fair Trade coffee, Prebica, to the student dining halls in Dougherty, Donahue and St. Mary’s. 

Currently Sue Toton’s Global Poverty class is continuing the Fair Trade movement by educating the Villanova community.   Students Susanna Gist, Ryan McMenamin and Stephane Ariot met with Tim Dietzler, to design a brochure about Fair Trade coffee that will be available at all sites where the coffee is served.  They also participated in the Peet’s promotional event and will continue to work on educating our community making it aware that you can change the world simply by drinking your morning coffee.