Our morning coffee is the fruit of the labor of millions of workers and producers in the South. Unfortunately, many of them earn paltry wages for work done under very difficult conditions. Chances are, the coffee you are drinking was grown by farmers who labored long, back-breaking hours while exposed to harmful chemicals in order to pocket a few cents.

In an attempt to break the cycle of malnutrition, dependence, illiteracy and violence, an alternative trade system, known worldwide as "fair trade," has been created. The products of this type of exchange, encourage consumers and retailers to opt for coffee which is "fairly traded."

This book looks at the fair trade movement by examining the issues surrounding the production and trading of coffee. Using Mexico as an example, part one describes the conventional coffee trade, tracing the coffee bean's journey from the tree, through the hands of several intermediaries in both the North and South, to its final destination as a cup of coffee. Part two presents the fair trade concept through the example of the Mexican peasant organization which was one of the first to embrace the fair trade system, and which was also a pioneer in the production of organic coffee. The third part explores the situation of fair trade in North America, and provides comprehensive sources and references for anyone who wants to get involved, at any level.

"Incites change in consumer attitudes and thoughtful commitment to a more equitable system of international trade."-Louis Sabourin, Director of ENAP and Former President of the OECD Development Center, Paris

Laure Waridel, as a member of Action for Solidarity, Equality, Environment and Development, was instrumental in organizing the activist group, A Just Coffee, whose aim it is to raise our coffee consciousness and consciences, and opt for coffee which is "fairly traded." She lives in Montreal.