Author’s Note

WHEN I WAS CONSIDERING writing the third book in the Supper Club series about coffee, I was inspired by the example of several faith-based organizations working in Colombia to help farmers convert coca to coffee crops. Farmers often find themselves with no other choice but to grow coca for the cartels, and government incentives to convert to coffee often don’t materialize, leaving them unable to feed their families and pay basic expenses. Third-party organizations, on the other hand, are able to take some of the uncertainty out of the equation by guaranteeing higher prices for fair-trade and organic coffee to be sold to artisanal roasters in the US and other countries.

However, coffee is a price-sensitive commodity. In 2014, panic over coffee shortages led to widespread planting, particularly in Brazil. As of this writing in 2019, the market has been flooded with beans, driving the price below half of what it was only five years earlier. Unfortunately, due to falling prices, many of the farmers who converted to coffee years before have had no choice but to convert back to coca. Coffee prices are predicted to rebound, and it’s possible that the pendulum will swing back the other way as it once again becomes lucrative.

I encourage anyone who is concerned about the impact of their coffee habit on the farmers who grow the beans or the connection to the drug trade to seek out fair-trade, single-origin coffee from micro- and macro-roasters. By buying high-quality beans sourced directly from the farmers or through a reputable co-op, we can help ensure a living wage for farmers and shift the demand, however slightly, toward a more sustainable coffee economy.