Blog | Page 7 | Equal Exchange
Accessibility help

Blog

  • Beth Ann Caspersen
    June 4, 2012
    Categories:
    Tagged:

    Equal Exchange Quality Manager Beth Ann Caspersen took a coffee "Q Course" at the Coffee Quality Institute, then went through a two-year apprenticeship to become a Q Instructor so that she can teach the Q Course herself. She's one of 31 certified Q Instructors in the world.

  • Mike Mowry
    April 3, 2012
    Categories:
    Tagged:

    In February I spent a week traveling around Ethiopia with representatives from other coffee companies as part of a Cupping Caravan. In two 15 passenger vans, top loaded with gas ranges, propane, and 5 gallon bottles of water, we spent the first few days cupping—the industry term for analyzing coffee—at various ECX field labs. ECX stands for the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange, which is the government agency responsible for grading all commodities produced in Ethiopia.

  • Mike Mowry
    February 12, 2012
    Categories:
    Tagged:

    Mike Mowry, Coffee Quality Coordinator, and Beth Ann Caspersen, Quality Control Manager, are in Ethiopia for two weeks. Here Mike talks week one and gives us an overview of what's still to come for the two travelers.

  • Beth Ann Caspersen
    October 13, 2011
    Categories:
    Tagged:

    I often think about how we are changing the world through trade - with relationships and the belief that everyone has rights, no matter where they are from. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the complex issues spanning the globe, from myriad protests to governmental conflicts to human right abuses. Look at a place like the Democratic Republic of Congo - a war-torn country in Central Africa with a devastated economy and massive sexual violence against women and girls of all ages. Did you know that the D.R. Congo has been called one of the worst places on earth to be a woman?

  • Tom Hanlon-Wilde
    July 6, 2011
    Categories:
    Tagged:

  • Jessica Jones-Hughes
    June 6, 2011
    Categories:
    Tagged:

    Recently at Equal Exchange, we received the question, "Is it true that coffee dehydrates you?" Water is one of the most essential nutrients for your body. So, pour yourself a glass of your favorite chilled Equal Exchange drink and read on!

  • Beth Ann Caspersen
    March 30, 2011
    Categories:
    Tagged:

    Over the last few years I have written about shifting gender roles in the coffee industry; how women are moving into different positions of power and influence within their own communities and co-operatives. The change is slow, but I believe this systemic change begins with individual women and the opportunities that are available to them.

  • Beth Ann Caspersen
    February 1, 2011
    Categories:
    Tagged:

    For many years, the specialty coffee industry has drawn parallels to the wine industry. The most widely used comparison is in the way we describe the flavors we taste. Consumers are familiar with wine labels that boast specialty flavors like mango or plum, bright acidity, and a host of other flavors.

  • Ashley Symons
    July 26, 2010
    Categories:
    Tagged:

    Mike Mowry is a Coffee Quality Coordinator at Equal Exchange. It's his job to taste coffee.

  • Susan Sklar
    March 27, 2009
    Categories:
    Tagged:

    At the Tierra Nueva coffee and honey co-operative, some new initiatives are helping women to improve their economic standing. Gender roles in Latin America, as in most parts of the world, are inequitable.

Pages