Brewing Justice

Brewing Justice: Fair Trade Coffee, Sustainability and Survival is a book by American academic Daniel Jaffee.

Brewing Justice: Fair Trade Coffee, Sustainability and Survival

Author	Daniel Jaffee
Country	United States
Language	English
Publisher	University of California Press
Publication date	April 2007
Pages	331
ISBN	978-0-520-24958-5 (first edition, hardcover), ISBN 978-0-520-24959-2 (US paperback edition)
OCLC	70668618
Dewey Decimal	382/.41373091724 22
LC Class	HD9199.D442 J34 2007

The book, by studying coffee farmers in Mexico, offers an investigation of the social, economic, and environmental benefits of fair trade. Based on research in Zapotec indigenous communities in the state of Oaxaca, Brewing Justice follows the members of the cooperative Michiza, whose organic coffee is sold on the international fair trade market. It compares these families to conventional farming families in the same region, who depend on local middlemen and are vulnerable to the fluctuations of the world coffee market.

The book carries readers into the lives of these coffee producer households and their communities, offering a nuanced analysis of both the effects of fair trade on everyday life and the limits of its impact. Brewing Justice paints a clear picture of the complex dynamics of the fair trade market and its relationship to the global economy. Drawing on interviews with dozens of fair trade leaders, the book also explores the changing politics of this international movement, including the challenges posed by the entry of transnational corporations into the fair trade system. It concludes by offering recommendations for strengthening and protecting the integrity of fair trade.