By Jeff Lipps
Armed with mugs and a desire to learn about the coffee market, IU
students gathered Monday night in Collins Living-Learning Center to
watch the screening of “Black Gold.”
“Black Gold” chronicles the
crusade of one Ethiopian, Tadesse Meskela, in his quest to liberate
fellow Ethiopian coffee farmers from a market that fails to consider
the farmer and his living conditions.
Meskela encouraged
importers to buy fair trade certified coffee, since they provide
farmers with finances necessary to make a living.
When the
farmers don’t have enough money, their communities suffer too, which
has caused nearly 7 million people in Ethiopia to depend on
international food aid.
The film screening was part of Indiana
Public Interest Research Group’s larger International Outreach Campaign
within the Hunger and Homelessness campaign.
The event included
free fair trade coffee provided by Bloomington Coffee Roasters. Nina
Cole, a graduate student at IU, established the business project as
part of her graduate studies.
“I’m doing this to educate myself and to learn about the coffee business,” Cole said.
She
said she buys her fair trade coffee from a distributor and importer out
of South Bend that imports the coffee directly from farmers. She said
she sells a total of 12 different blends ranging from various regions
across the globe.
They can be found at local distributors such
as Nick’s English Hut and Bloomingfoods. Cole said she also sells her
coffee at the local Winter Farmers’ Market every Saturday morning in
the Harmony School Gymnasium.
Brendon Liner, group member, said
he hopes to educate the student body about its choices as consumers.
Through this process he is learning too, mostly about which local
distributors sell fair trade products, he said.
“We’re currently
working on a handbook that will be available for students and local
residents,” Liner said. “It will inform them about where fair trade
products are available locally.”
The handbook will be available
by the end of the semester at local distributors of fair trade
products, he said. Liner said he hopes this will teach consumers more
about the market and where their money goes.
Bloomington resident Colin McCarty said the film shows audiences how the coffee market works on an international scale.
“Ultimately it comes down to the greed of a few, and they drive the market,” he said.
