Brock Dining Services is serving up an ethical blend for students, staff and guests at the University. It recently moved to make fair-trade coffee and tea its default serving in the school’s new Guernsey Market and catering department.

The switch is the result of campus-wide action by Brock faculty, students, staff and suppliers, which has been ongoing since 2004.

“The decision to go fair-trade at Brock was driven by two key factors,” said Iain Glass, managing director, Food Services. “The choice not only reflects local and global changes in ethical purchasing and trading practices, but it also helps us reduce our carbon footprint by buying local from a fair-trade roaster here in Niagara.”

Senate approved Brock’s Ethical Purchasing Policy in 2006. The document, which was prepared by the University’s Fair Trade/Ethical Purchasing Committee, was designed to set guidelines for ethical purchasing of products and services by the University.

“This move was in line with many similar decisions taken locally and globally by organizations of all shapes and sizes,” said Richard Mitchell, co-chair of Brock’s Fair Trade/Ethical Purchasing Committee and an associate professor of Child and Youth Studies.

In the policy there was a distinction made between coffee and clothing. All clothing sold on campus had to be sourced appropriately, but the scope for coffee and tea was different. The policy stated that there would be an “option” available for fair-trade coffee. However, the default would still remain non-fair-trade coffee.

When the new Guernsey Market recently opened, it began to sell fair-trade coffee as its default coffee. This change was in line with the Market’s mission to source its products from local suppliers whenever possible. And the move to go completely fair-trade across campus just progressed from there.

“This is important because first-world people have an obligation to people in the third-world to develop consumption habits and spending patterns that are beneficial to those individuals doing the work in third-world countries,” said June Corman, co-chair of Brock’s Fair Trade/Ethical Purchasing Committee and Sociology professor.

“Our committee had a big vision when we started, but we’re taking baby steps. Every year we try to take one modest step towards getting closer to the bigger vision.”

Fair-trade facts at Brock:

• The cost is of the average cup of fair-trade coffee is six cents higher
• Guernsey Market sells about 450 to 700 cups of coffee per week

Related link:
What is Fair Trade?