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It's June, the start of the much anticipated travel
season. And as savvy travelers, we're busy planning trips
to enchanting and intriguing destinations. Topographical
maps, hiking gear, and camping equipment decorate our
table tops. But before you delve into this issue of Fair
Grounds or embark on your own summer excursions, take
a moment to think about ecotourism. Conventional guide
books or even adventurous travel references don't often
mention the effects that travel can have on our fragile
global ecosystem. At Café Campesino, our house rules are
1) to preserve and conserve, reuse and reduce; and 2) to
live as a democracy and love the earth and all its
inhabitants. The latter is where ecotourism serves as our
guiding principle.
What is ecotourism? Because the definition is subjective,
not to mention complex, it's difficult to put it into
concise words. For us, however, it's our continuing
journey to become responsible travelers who conserve
natural environments and sustain the well-being of their
inhabitants. As our business grows and travel becomes a
greater part of it, exercising ecotourism is a continuing
challenge. So we do our homework — researching and
learning alternative travel practices. Planeta.com is an
excellent resource for both the inexperienced or
experienced eco-traveler. Practicing ecotourism is an
ethic, a way for us to raise our level of conscious and
think about the environmental impacts of business and
personal travel.
We encourage you to travel with zeal this year and
continue to embrace foreign cultures. But as you do,
remember that your actions can have consequences on the
environment. Tread lightly on the land. The planet will
thank you for it.
As you plan your summer itinerary (over a cup of Café
Campesino coffee, one would hope), we invite you to
journey with us to Perú, our decaf coffee origin and an
Andean culture with inspiring resonance.
(Back
to Headlines)
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Nubia Perez
This
month we travel to South America to the wondrous country
of Perú in the highlands of its Andes Mountains — the
origin of Café Campesino's fairly-traded, 100% organic
Perú Decaf. We invite you to read more about this
fascinating place and the people who live there.
PERÚ:
In the Andean Midst
Intiq
Churin
Ñoqan
kani Intiq Churin, taytallaysi kachamuwan
Ñoqan kani Intiq wawan, taytallaysi kamachiwan
Taytallaysi kachamuwan, runaykunata maskamuy nispa
Taytallaysi kamachiwan, runasimita yachachiy nispa
Children
of the Sun
I
am a son of the Sun, going to those of my race.
I'm one of the children of the Sun, going to my people
I'm a child of the sun, coming for a purpose.
—
Quechua Folk Song
The
Reign of the Inca Empire is synonymous with power,
mysticism, and a grandeur that has not been replicated by
any other culture in history, especially in the Americas.
At its height, the Inca Empire extended from southern
Colombia to the northwestern part of Argentina. With the
Andes Mountains as its domain, the present-day Perú holds
what was then the Inca’s ceremonial center: Machuu
Pichuu.
Explored
by an American by the name of Hiram Bingham on July 24,
1911, Machuu Pichuu is considered the "Cultural
Patrimony of Humanity." The reason why this Lost City
of the Incas was built is still only left to speculation.
However its magnitude and beauty is truly breathtaking.
The Incas have gone down in history as some of the most
sophisticated and ingenious people ever to exist.
Ironically, their descendants, the Quechua Indians, are
statistically the country’s most impoverished. However,
the pride of their heritage is still exemplified in their
Quechuan culture and lifestyle. For example, colorful and
finely crafted clothes are still worn by the indigenous
people of Perú. Most are farm workers who live off the
land that their ancestors once walked upon thousands of
years ago. Andean music is unique, with the use of
traditional instruments found only in this region. And
their language is still spoken among them, especially by
those who live near the Bolivian border.
It
is evident that the Andes Mountains are still home to some
of the richest cultures in South America. The mountains
run all along the western coast of the continent, with a
significant presence in five different countries. However,
Perú, along with Bolivia and Ecuador, is known for the
active lifestyle of indigenous communities that dwell not
only in the highlands (inlands) but in the river valleys
as well. Along with its historical wealth, Perú, the
third largest country in South America, also gives people
the opportunity to enjoy a culture that has not yet been
completely diminished by European influences. The purity
and honor of their indigenous heritage still run deep in
their spirit.
(Back to Headlines)
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Bill Harris
Well,
it all started with a wheelbarrow. Someone on our team
dumped a load of dirt on the farmer’s coffee bush, the
farmer got mad and made us quit working on the house.
We’d flown from the U.S. to Guatemala with Habitat for
Humanity’s Global Village program to build houses. What
should we do now?
While
the farmer and local Habitat coordinator discussed the
fate of the coffee tree, our team sat in the shade and
talked about coffee. Wonder how much coffee he gets from
that little tree? Wonder how much he gets paid for it?
Wonder how many other families depend on coffee as their
main source income?
After
an hour and a half of discussions, the farmer let us go
back to work with promises that we wouldn’t cover
another coffee bush. We were working — but my mind was
elsewhere. I wanted to know the answer to those
questions…
That
was five years ago and that’s how we entered the
intriguing and exacerbating world of specialty coffee. The
original idea was simple — assist farmers in creating
direct markets here in the U.S. while ensuring that they
receive a fair price. The idea hasn’t changed — but
Café Campesino sure has!
Find out more about the founding of Cooperative Coffees,
the origins of Café Campesino and where we are today by
clicking here.
(Back
to Headlines)
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Nubia Perez
Many
musicians strive to capture their passion and encapsulate
it in their music. If successful, this music even has the
ability to transcend distance, carrying us to remote lands
and cultures. Though Marco Hernandez has a remarkably
unassuming persona, his passion for fighting for social
justice resonates so profusely that it is felt in his
music. In an unexplainable way, the recording on which he
plays, entitled Music of the Andes, both transports
its listeners to the fascinating world of the Andes
Mountains and promotes the fair trade movement.
The
humble beginnings of "Music of the Andes" began
in 1992 when Marco and his wife, Kimberly, took a road
trip from Tucson, AZ, to Delaware to visit her parents.
Stopping in Houston, they came across an alternative trade
store called "Pueblo to People." Fascinated by
the sound of wind instruments, Hernandez found rare pieces
from all over the world there. In conversing with the
owners, he and Kimberly learned of a conference in
California later that year that was centered around the
concept of fair trade. Though the Fair Trade Federation
was still in its early stages of development, the high
energy of the attendees was enough to encourage the couple
to believe that there was still "hope for the
poor."
The
following year, Marco accompanied his wife (an
anthropologist) to Oaxaca, México, where she was doing
field work. Though the living conditions were marginal,
Marco and Kimberly took this opportunity to truly
integrate with the people, especially a local ecology
group and many musicians. They began to ponder the
thought, "if only there was a way to help these
people…" Little did they know that it was just a
matter of time.
To read more about Marco's music, his growing involvement
in the fair trade movement and his Music of the Andes
CD, click here.
(Back
to Headlines)
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June 15-22: BRAG (www.brag.org)
Rockmart to Hartwell — Fueled by Café Campesino
Fair Trade Coffees! Our third consecutive year. Featuring
our mobile coffee house under the canopy, which provides
freshly brewed coffee and breakfast foods to fuel cyclists
daily, while refreshing afternoon riders with our iced
mochas.
June 21st-23rd: The Roaster's Guild — a coffee
roaster workshop, hosted by Ambex Roasters (www.ambexroasters.com)
and an education forum, which informs roasters about
cutting edge roast technology, while enjoying the coffee
camaraderie on the shores of Clearwater Beach. Daniel will
be attending the roaster workshop.
July 12: Southface Energy Institute’s Sustainable
Atlanta Roundtable — Café Campesino attends the
monthly (first Friday of every month, unless otherwise
noted) SART as a Fair Trade representative promoting
sustainable coffee agriculture and trade. To register on
their Roundtable mailing list/e-mail list, visit: http://www.southface.org/home/sart/sustainatlanta.html
(Back to Headlines)
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