One of the projects I was working on to make my new place homey and personal required the use of a tape measure. So I went to the local hardware store to purchase one, but little did I know how big of a decision into which that would turn. Upon arriving at the store and locating the tape measures, I came across a plethora of options. All different lengths, then different styles, made from different materials, from different companies, and with prices all across the board. Who would have thought buying a tape measure could be made so difficult?! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I just need to measure a distance from Point A to Point B, does it take 18 different variations to accomplish that?? I literally stood there in the aisle for almost 20 minutes going over all the different types….of tape measures!! Looking back on it, I think it’s crazy it took me that long to decide, but I would like to recount my decisions for you here quickly, and see the the impact it has on your trip to the grocery store.
If that's not enough tape measures, there are more below on the next shelf!
As I stood there in the aisle, I took each different variation of tape measure off the shelf and looked over it, comparing the different aspects of each with the price. There were the heavy duty construction ones, the high-tech laser ones, the cheap plastic ones, then the cheaper ones that were plastic AND made in China. And on and on, the bigger ones, metal ones, long ones, sturdy ones, clip-on ones, mini ones, it never ended. By the time I’d made my decision, I realized it all came down to one simple fact: I chose the one that was “Made in the USA” with the big American flag right across the front.
I spend a good portion of my time watching Discovery and Science Channel shows like “How It’s Made,” “How It Works,” and “Factory Made.” I love seeing the factories and people working in them and the process of how each item is made. Of course, nowadays, I only hear about how factories are moving productions across the Pacific, where labor is cheap and resources are plentiful. They churn out product after product, the quantity high and the quality low. It’s why Big-Box stores are booming. They don’t sell quality things that last a long time. They sell large quantities of things that last a short while. Where you used to buy a $20 tape measure every 10 years, now you’re buying a $5 dollar tape measure every year or two. The spring inside breaks easily, it doesn’t roll out or roll in, or the clamp gets stuck. There’s no incentive to sell high quality infrequently, when you can sell slightly lesser quality more frequently. In the long run, they make a few dollars more, and when stretched across entire countries, those measly extra dollars turn into millions, per product. However, I, in all my wisdom and knowledge, decided to thwart the corporate culture and their cheap tape measures, and chose the more expensive model. Not only because it was made in the USA with higher quality materials and highly-skilled workers, but also because it was a trusted brand, the same my dad used at home. The tape measure I bought was almost three times more expensive then the cheapest model I could have purchased (but still measured from Point A to Point B!), but I know I made the right decision. I’m sure of it. Yes, I paid handsomely for it, but I know where it was made, I know the people who have jobs because of that little decision I made, and I know I’m better off because of it. I won’t be buying a tape measure for many years to come.
I couldn’t help think that the same mentality spans across so many other areas of our lives, especially the coffee industry. There are a thousand different ways you can get your coffee, large roaster to small roaster, local to global, organic and not, fair trade and not. Then you’ve got whole bean or ground, 12oz bags or 16oz bags, flavored or straight black coffee.
We, Camano Island Coffee Roasters, sell our coffee in a few local grocery stores around Camano Island, and it’s stunning to see the selection of coffee, JUST coffee. They have half of an entire row solely devoted to coffee. It’s absurd, if you think about it. What could possibly be so differentiating in such a little bean? You grow it, you harvest it, you roast it, grind it, and drink it up! What could produce so many variations in a cup of coffee? And then my experience at the hardware store came to mind, seeing all the different ways they can make something as simple as a tape measure. I, and the rest of us here at CICR, realize that our coffee might appear to be more expensive when compared to the brands’ price tags next to ours. But price is only one small element of a multi-faceted purchase. But it is that way for a reason. Just like the “Made in the USA” flag and the brand reputation determined my purchase at the hardware store, it’s something as simple as that that can quickly make your coffee decision easy.
Intimidating! That's half of an entire aisle, consisting of over 100 different variations of coffee. In one local store alone!
When other coffee brands put their coffee in special “marketing” bags, use special (read meaningless) buzz words, and attention-grabbing pictures, they’re selling a cheap coffee that doesn’t take into effect the true costs of the coffee. You see, coffee is more than the price tag underneath it. There are social costs, environmental costs, and global costs that most coffee brands don’t reflect in their prices. The farmers whose coffee we purchase is bought at a fair price (Fairly Traded). It is not bartered down in order to get a deal. They are not working in slums or stuffed into assembly lines like those that make the tape measures in China. We strongly believe that a sustainable farmer, and his family, is more important than a cheap pallet of beans. Yes, our beans are “Roasted in the USA,” but we even take it a step further than that. You can be assured that by buying our coffee, you’re rewarding various farms all across the globe in a sustaining way.
Also, there are environmental costs to consider. I tend to have a hard time with organic produce, because the pay off doesn’t seem worth it. Once, my dad came home with a box of organic….cinnamon rolls. I couldn’t believe my eyes. What could possibly make a cinnamon roll organic? The sugar in the icing? The plastic in the container? Maybe the label? Sounds like a scam! But with coffee, it’s a completely different story. Coffee is the second-most absorbent crop in the world, after cotton. This means that if any, and I mean ANY, pesticide or other chemical substance is used not only on the coffee plants themselves, but even neighboring crops, the coffee bean will soak it right up. While certain pesticides may be banned from use in the USA, they are not usually banned in the countries where coffee is grown, which are typically third-world and laced with poverty. By choosing organic coffee, you are free from the harmful pesticides that are used to grow not just your coffee, but all the crops surrounding your coffee. While an organic cinnamon roll is a charming idea, an organic cup of coffee is worthy of a higher price. It takes a farmer more labor and resources to grow beans naturally and without chemical intervention.
I urge you to look at the various brands of coffee the next time you’re in the grocery store. Don’t just look at pricing, but instead look at quality and responsibility. Sure, our coffee is a value for the quality that it is… but there is so much more to the beans we sell. Our beans are not only healthy for you but they change the lives of the famers that cultivate, grow and harvest your morning cup – for the better.
Tobin Fekkes
Intern for the Technology Genius and Associated Sciences of Relative Coffee-Drinking Habits
