Letter to Aramark (drafted by Paul Smith)

Letter to Aramark regarding campus coffee buying:

We, the Wake Forest University Chapter of Amnesty International, ask Aramark to consider seeking alternative coffee buying options for the Wake Forest University Reynolda Campus.  We are making this request for a number of reasons.

First, the current coffee buying mentality among many roasters and importers is insufficient in meeting the needs of those growing and processing the coffee.  Coffee prices right now are at a 30 year low worldwide, yet at the same time, we are paying an all-time high price for coffee in the US market.

Recently, the international organization Oxfam reported that Starbucks attempted to prevent the trademarking of certain Ethiopian names by means of the National Coffee Association. This trademarking would allow up to 90 million US dollars in increased funds for Ethiopia (a 25% increase in coffee revenue). 

While Starbucks tries to say that its coffee is bought fairly, as set by internal specifications, the lack of a third-party certifier makes the process unstable, not transparent, and categorically insufficient for the farmers.

Seeking an alternative coffee supplier also provides a unique source of increased exposure and marketing of Aramark drink options.  It will help win support of the student body in campus dining options by providing a way for students to help these producers rather than to continue the cycle of poverty which the current coffee market insists upon.  Coffee buying is an increasingly ethical issue in regards to how farmers are compensated for the work they are doing. Continuing to retain Starbucks as a supplier is inconsistent with the Wake Forest motto Pro Humanitate.

We implore Aramark to consider alternative suppliers for coffee.  There are options including companies such as Pura Vida (which continues to work with Aramark at other universities around the nation; Seattle WA), Larry’s Beans (Raleigh, NC), Counter Culture Coffee (Durham, NC), Dean’s Beans (New Salem, MA), and Peace Coffee (Minneapolis, MN).  These companies do not engage in ‘token’ fair trade practices, but actively participate in coffee communities to help alleviate some of the structural problems which the global coffee market imposes upon them.

We are writing this letter as a plea to Aramark to participate in a more ethical practice of buying coffee.  I hope that Aramark becomes a part of the solution figuring out a better way of buying coffee for Wake Forest.
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