A good way to have an effect on the management of a grocery store or café is to send a letter to them personally. Be brief and precise. Give a clear definition of who you are, what you are asking, and the precise reason for your action. Tell the management how this action will benefit their company by keeping you as a customer. Attach information about Fair Trade and how they can get a hold of TransFair certified sources.
Dear Manager,
I am a customer of yours, concerned about the social and environmental impacts of my consumer choices. As I enjoy buying coffee here, I want to encourage you to carry Fair Trade Certified coffee with the TransFair independently monitored label. It is my intention to purchase it over other brands.
Many coffee farmers receive market payments for their coffee which are less than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt. Intensive coffee farming also leads to environmental problems, such as deforestation; the Smithsonian Institute has documented that the eradication of the natural environment of songbirds is contributing to their extinction. Industrial coffee farming also contributes to the contamination of air and water through pesticide poisoning.
Fair Trade works to correct these imbalances by guaranteeing a minimum wage for the small producers' harvest, as well as encouraging the cultivation of coffee without the use of pesticides. With the profits generated from receiving a fair wage, coffee growers are able to invest in such areas as health, education and environmental protection.
For these reasons, I and many other like-minded consumers are now choosing Fair Trade Certified coffee over other brands. Independent surveys show that 8 out of 10 consumers would rather purchase a product associated with a cause they believe in. There is currently a consumer demand campaign in our town asking coffee retailers such as yourself to make sure we can buy Fair Trade Certified coffee in your store.
The Fair Trade monitoring organization, TransFairUSA, is now certifying many coffee suppliers in the area and can help you to get Fair Trade coffee into your store. For information about where to find Fair Trade Certified coffees, contact TransFairUSA, 52 Ninth Street, Oakland, CA 94607, 510/663.5260, or www.transfairusa.org.
Offering Fair Trade coffee with the TransFair independent certification seal would benefit your business and coffee farmers around the world.
Sincerely,
