Your Java and Exploitation

Coffee beans are in the top 100 traded commodities in the world and arguably is one of the most popular because the brew from the magical beans is enjoyed by one billion consumers worldwide. It is estimated that globally over two billion coffee beverages are sold daily. Coffee is popular in the United States and the love affair with the beverage is traced to our Revolutionary roots as coffee became the beverage of choice after the Boston Tea Party with many households abandoning the tea leaf for the coffee bean as a means of protest.

The popularity of the beverage grew throughout the Civil War, the gold rush, and the era of the cowboy on the frontier as the beans were easy to transport and prepare. Coffee shops have contributed to the popularity of the beverage. Today, coffee is so popular, it has a day dedicated to its existence known as International Coffee Day which is celebrated in October of every year. Coffee experienced a big boon in the 1990s due to the birth of internet cafés and pop culture emphasis on the coffee shops as a social place to be. Today, the coffee shop is an integral part of the American culture as a place to conduct business or just socialize bringing people together in a sense of community.

Sadly, although coffee is often associated with a positive sense of community, the ever-growing industry is one of the most troubled from a human exploitation perspective. It is estimated that 20% of children under the age of 15 in coffee growing countries are subject to human trafficking (modern-day slavery) and forced labor in the coffee plantations harvesting the beans. In Coite d’Ivoire, it is common practice for children to be trafficked from neighboring countries and forced to work on the plantations. In addition, adults in many of these coffee countries are subject to forced labor and debt bondage within the plantations. In recent years, because the numbers of forced labor of children is so staggering, many South American and Latin American countries have launched campaigns to stop child labor in the coffee industry, but the impact of these campaigns is not clear numerically. It is believed by some experts that the campaigns have just forced the problem into the shadows.

Despite coffee being one of the most widely known products of exploitation, the coffee industry in the United States appears to turn a blind eye to the problem with profits being more important than people. In fact, many of the well-known chain coffee shops popular in the U.S. do not ensure the beans used in their popular beverages are not tainted by exploitation. Many in fact skirt the issue by touting that they have a fair-trade or socially conscious line, yet the unknowing consumer is not aware that the beans in that line are not used in the beverages made and sold in their establishments. So, before you enjoy your next mug, seek its origins.