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"CORPORATE"
Stone Creek Coffee
422 N. 5th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53203
Tel: 414-270-1008
Fax: 414-273-1251

RETAIL OFFICES
Stone Creek Coffee
422 N. 5th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53203
Tel: 414-270-1008
Fax: 414-273-1251

Our Socially Responsible guidelines have been developed based on the work of multiple Alternative Trade Organizations (ATO’s) that have established themselves as leaders in the definition and promotion of fair trade. Each of the organizations has developed fair trade criteria and certification processes. We have used all of them as a collective voice to develop our Socially Responsible Coffee guidelines. We have relied on FLO (Fair Trade Labeling Organization) as our benchmark for minimum prices paid to farmers. FLO is the certifying body for TransFair USA which promotes “Certified Fair Trade” coffee in the USA.

FLO-Fair Trade Labeling Organization-http://www.fairtrade.net
TransFair USA-http://www.transfairusa.org
IFAT-International Fair Trade Association-http://www.ifat.org
FTF-Fair Trade Federation-http://www.fairtradefederation.com
Utz Kapeh-http://www.utzkapeh.org
Socially Conscious Coffee-http://www.sociallyconsciouscoffee.org
Catholic Relief Services-http://www.crsfairtrade.org

To be sold as Socially Responsible Coffee by Stone Creek a coffee must meet the following guidelines.

• People - The heart of the fair trade movement and Stone Creek’s Socially Responsible guidelines is the wellness of the farmers who harvest and grow our coffee. We understand that simply paying the farm or co-op a certain price (see below) does not necessarily translate into fairness and humane practices for harvesters.
• Allows for freedom of association for farmers and participative decision making.
• Promotes education for farmer families.
• Promotes healthy and safe work environments.
• Adherence to UN conventions on rights of children and child labor.

• Minimum Price - The driving force of the fair trade movement is to set a minimum price that a farm or co-op will receive for their coffee. This minimum price is set so that farmers will receive a living wage for their work. In the fair trade movement this minimum price is set by the FLO (Fair Trade Labeling Organization). We have adapted this industry standard as our standard for the minimum price we will pay for a coffee. For many our coffees we pay more and commit to never pay less than this floor. For standard coffee the floor price is $1.31 and for organic coffee the minimum price is $1.51.
• Paying a fair wage in the local context.
• Access to pre-harvest financing as needed.
• Transparent business practices.

• Environmental Stewardship - As noted above, a fair price is a key to creating and sustaining healthy coffee farming communities. While many of the fair trade coffee we buy and roast are certified organic they do not have to be certified organic to be considered fair trade. Environmental sustainability practices are in place for all coffees that we sell as fair trade.
• Restriction of agrochemicals to foster biological sustainability.
• Promotes the reforestation of native plants and animals.

• 3rd Party Verification or Farm Visit - Given our size (we are a relatively small coffee company) and our inability to visit every farm we buy from, we are committed to relying on 3rd party organizations to provide verification of our Socially Responsible Guidelines. If 3rd party certification does not exist for a farm or co-op that we buy from we are committed to visiting the farm to see first hand that guidelines above are being met. The primary 3rd party certification we rely on comes from TransFair USA. In addition, we purchase coffee from Socially Conscious Coffee from the Sinay Neves farm in Brazil. We visited the farm in June 2006.

No one organization or NGO (non-government organization) has a monopoly on the principles and ethos of fair trade. Many of the organizations listed above are leading this movement and it is our company’s belief that a collaborative partnership with them is the best way to deliver more money to the farmers and harvesters who grow and pick our amazing coffee. In collaboration we can maintain and grow the supply of Socially Responsible Coffee that we purchase and sell.

In order for a blend to be labeled as Socially Responsible 75% of the coffee in the blend must be Socially Responsible. Additionally, as we are able to source more Socially Responsible coffee we plan to raise this standard to 100%.

This is our commitment.

If you would like more information about our fair trade practices and our Socially Responsible Coffee, please email or call us at 414.270.1008