Coffee that makes your money go farther

Want the money you spend on coffee to go farther? This is not a plug for cheap coffee, but a coffee purchase that makes a difference.

The Episcopal Church offers Bishop's Blend Coffee from Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD). The coffee comes in French Roast, Cinnamon Spice and Decaf. Where do the profits for the Coffee go? Once known as The Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief, ERD provides emergency assistance in times of disaster; rebuilds devastated communities and offers long-term program development solutions to fight poverty.

Because, Bishop's Blend does not come in the pillow packs King of Peace uses, we get our coffee from the Lutheran World Relief Coffee Project, which works with Equal Exchange Coffee.

Through either program you get better tasting coffee, bought in a way that promotes a fair working wage for the coffee farmers. As the Bishop's Blend website explains fair traded coffee:

Today, with world commodity prices far below the costs of production, Fair Trade provides a critical alternative to the “free trade” market and creates a more equitable and stable trading system. The Fair Trade floor price and direct market access reduce the devastating effects of the boom and bust cycle on farmers and their organizations. The result is stronger farmers’ cooperatives, independence from exploitative middlemen, and more revenue for social development and environmental conservation programs.

And on top of that, the profits go to world relief projects, such as aid for victims of the December 26, 2004 Tsunami in the Indian Ocean.