Sustaining the sustainable coffee conference.

There we were, some 300 plus attentive listeners, seated elbow to elbow like the very topic of the seminar - coffee cherries. To further the coffee shrub analogy, some of us were more 'mature' than others, just like you would find on the branch; some attendees were there for the first time, others were coffee veterans.

The same could be said for speakers. Veteran coffee roaster Paul Katzeff, chairman of this event and newly elected SCAA second vice president, illustrated his talk with hand-written flyers filled with facts and calculations depicting global waste of energy and resources. New to the conference this year, Daniel O'Keefe, a Seattle, Washington-based songwriter, ended his presentation on growing crops that will sustain bird habitats, with a song he wrote, entitled "Ode to Hazel Wolfe." I'm not sure what significance the song had to the purpose of the conference, but it sounded good and Ms. Wolfe must have been an interesting person who devoted her life's work to caring for the environment. And so went the day. Even though the word "sustainable" was spoken in most every speech, the term still proved elusive. Maybe it was because there were so many presenters, all giving a particular definition based on their perspective.

Russ Greenberg, director of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, said that "science is the only way to test and design a sustainable system." Currently, there is much confusion about what is and isn't sustainability. Greenberg said that we need a scientific investigation and recommended we form partnerships to answer these questions.

Peter Rosset, the keynote speaker, emphasized the importance of small farms, and how animals and crops can be totally integrated to- ward sustainability. For example, animal manure can be utilized to fertilize the crop.

From farmers in growing countries, we heard from Yilma Yemane-Berhan of Ethiopia, Marcello Vieira of Brazil, Byran Coralles of Nicaragua, Juan Alberto Velez of Colombia, and Walter Peters of Mexico. Each shared their experiences and showed slides of native farmland. Examples of farming practices and situations indigenous to their specific needs were cited. As Velez told us, "What works in Costa Rica or Guatemala will not work in Colombia." Viewing the slides and hearing these first-hand experiences enhanced attendee awareness, which gave us a bird's eye view of just how difficult our challenge to become a global sustainable community is.

From an association standpoint, Julia Serpa from the ICO stressed that we must take the concept of sustainability from an historical perspective. She stated there is a need for "different levels of sustainability all over the world, different according to regions." She also emphasized the need for consumer education with an informational campaign that involves the public. Jim Evans, director of CLUSA/Nicaragua (the Cooperative League of the USA), works with farmers to teach improved organic production practices. Through his expertise, Evans teaches and trains farmers in improved farm practices that promote ongoing sustainable community. To date, under the CLUSA program in Nicaragua, small coffee farmers have increased their family incomes by over 200%.

Addressing the disease challenge, Dr. Charles McVean, an entomologist, gave viewers a look at how coffee plants repeatedly caught the same disease in two to three year cycles without adequate shade. He stated that lack of shade is detrimental; shaded coffee gets an overabundance of insects, which serve as bird food.

Dr. Joe Wunderle, a biologist who has spent 14 years in Puerto Rico, addressed the importance of bird habitats on coffee plantations. Robert Rice, one of the initiators of both Sustainable Coffee Conferences, discussed the positive economic impact resulting from shade grown crops. Rice demonstrated the multiple resources gained through shade grown crops. In addition to coffee income, there is money gained from fruit sales, honey production, and fuel wood. Wood from coffee trees is used to heat the homes of farmers while a variety of plants are used as medicine and in rituals. The Christmas ceremony and ritual honoring the dead are two examples, Rice related, that use plants.

Bill Fishbein, co-owner of Coffee Exchange, a roaster/retailer, stressed the need to add still another dimension to quality. He stated that there first needs to be sustainable agriculture, then sort for quality. In 1988, Fishbein founded Coffee Kids, a nonprofit organization that helps farm families in third world countries. Ongoing goals of this organization are to help small scale farms become more independent and to be more lucrative. To this end, Coffee Kids sponsors bank loans for women in an effort to establish educational programs for farm kids. He urged support for the solar dryer, which produces a better quality coffee at a lower cost.

On the roaster side, Sue Mecklenburg, environmental and community affairs director, and Dave Olsen, senior vice president, both of Starbucks, talked about their company's approach to environmental issues. Starbucks has an environmental mission that is carried out by green team regional coordinators. They are responsible for facilitating programs such as sending used burlap bags to furniture companies to use as fill. In his remarks, Olsen stated that Starbucks is the largest contributor to CARE and is currently involved with various farm initiatives to improve conditions in areas where the company purchases coffee.

In an emotionally moving presentation, Jonathan Rosenthal, executive director for Equal Exchange, focused on the social issues. Equal Exchange emphasizes coffees that are organically grown and fairly traded. "We are a social change organization," he said, and "need to look at the whole, not parts." Another advocate of organically grown coffee, Mark Inman, of Taylor Maid Farms, California, presented lively information on how his organic farm actually works. On 20 acres devoted to microforestry, there is a deer sanctuary, pond for spring water, goats for weed control and fertilizer, a mountain lion, frog pond systems, chicken pens, and worm castings. Another 300 acres is devoted to growing flowers and herbs used for teas and medicines. He also roasts organic coffee. He uses recyclable cans rather than packages for coffee. Inman's view is that "certified organic is the first step to sustainability." The whole farm is self-sufficient.

Always succinct, Kevin Knox, senior vice president and coffee buyer, Allegro, reminded attendees that "sustainable" as a category does not exist. Allegro was one of the first companies to sell organic coffee, having pioneered this niche in 1986. Knox continued to discuss the challenges of selling organic and sustainable coffee, stating that one way to educate and inform consumers is to "tell the story of specific farms."

Supporting organic coffee as the basis for assuring authenticity, John Cossette, coffee buyer for Royal Coffee Co., and former certification agency for OCIA, stated that organic coffee verifies the character and quality of the coffee, signifies availability, and addresses growing conditions, prices, and shipping among other variants.

Certification assists growers with authenticity - from farm to cup. Another importer, David Griswold of Sustainable Harvest Coffee, suggested that sustainable coffees create new markets. He referred to sustainable as "organic," "shade grown," "fair trade," and "bird-friendly" coffee. Better documentation, product information, social and environmental characteristics, farm disclosure, and an appellation system help differentiate sustainable over conventional coffee. "Having a variety of coffees," said Griswold, "gives roasters more choices and helps create consumer demand."

Finally, toward the end of the day, a speaker presented the nuts and bolts of becoming sustainable. Roberto Giesemann, president of the Mexican Specialty Coffee Association (Calicafe), stated the four areas needed to be considered sustainable: Political - governments must understand sustainable; Social - living and housing conditions and the human rights of growers and pickers; Economic - we have to pay a price. We must move away from the "C" market and should not be dependent on that market for setting prices; and Environment - we must employ environmentally friendly practices.

In establishing a price, Giesemann recommended each of these four aspects was worth a premium of 50[cents] per pound. In closing, however, he stated that "organic is not necessarily sustainable." Which brings us back to the question of what is sustainable.

Since the conference, I have spoken with attendees to get their reaction. One is a grower/importer/roaster, Dr. Samuel Olivieri, an agronomist who owns Specially Different, a company offering estate coffee from Venezuela. He suggests a formula for obtaining global sustainability based on three criteria: environmental, economical, and social. "Sustainability must be centered in the quality of the bean," he said. We must develop a scale of sustainability; it is not a black or white issue. Perhaps Olivieri is on the right track. So is Julia Serpa of the ICO in developing a technological, scientific solution based on an historical perspective documented by the experience expressed by conference participants and presenters.

Of particular interest to me was the brochure in my packet entitled "Sustainable Coffee: Statement of Understanding." The contents were written by The Sustainable Coffee Criteria Group, formed by representatives of the SCAA International Relations and Environmental Committees. Although it may have been mentioned that a brochure was in our packet, there was not one panelist who referred to it as the basis for establishing a sustainable coffee policy. Isn't it time we practiced what we preach?

Suzanne J. Brown is president/owner of SJB Associates, a marketing consulting business based in Atlanta, Georgia. She specializes in projects for the coffee/tea industry, and can be reached at Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: [e-mail].