Sample letter
Corporate coffee companies such as Proctor & Gamble (Folgers, Millstone and Safeway Select coffee) and Kraft represent the largest percentage of coffee sold in the United States. While a few supermarkets offer some Fair Trade Certified coffee, more needs to be done. Ask your local supermarket for Fair Trade Certified coffee. If enough people ask, supermarkets will notice. You can use the sample letter. After that, you can fill out a supermarket comment card asking for Fair Trade Coffee each time you shop.

Dear _______________ Store Manager,

I am a regular shopper at your store, and I would like to see more Fair Trade Certified™ coffee offered in your store so that customers like me can buy it.

Hundreds of thousands of farming families face job loss and starvation due to a slump in coffee prices. I want my purchases of coffee to help — not hurt — coffee farmers, their families, and the environment. I know that Fair Trade Certified™ coffee offers me that guarantee.

Please do your part to help by introducing more Fair Trade Certified™coffee into your store. Encourage the coffee roasters that supply you to do their part by offering a range of Fair Trade Certified™ coffee.

Thank you for giving this concern serious consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Name__________________________________________

Address_________________________________________

City/State_______________________________________

(Adapted with permission from materials by Co-op America and the Interfaith Fair Trade Initiative. )

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