Dean Cycon, Original Javatrekker

Thankfully, some of us can, in fact, be rockstars. One of whom I hold in particular esteem is Dean Cycon. Dean is a trailblazer in the fair trade movement. He is the founder of Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee and author of Javatrekker: Dispatches From the world of Fair Trade Coffee. Dean coined the phrase Javatrekking, which I adapted (with eternal gratitude and inspiration) as the title of my blog.

We do not all have the funds or flexibility (yet!) to travel to the source of the world’s best coffee beans, but thanks to Javatrekker, we can now envision the places our favorite coffees originate from and relate to the farmers who make their livelihood raising this delicious plant.

Javatrekker is an exciting read that takes us on a worldwide tour though the coffee supply chain. Dean reveals some of the difficulties and downfalls of a global marketplace, but also shares the triumphs that can be achieved when a fair trade arrangement can be agreed upon and upheld. Farmers in cooperatives that earn at least the minimum fair price per pound are able to change their lives and futures for the better. Farmers in fair trade cooperatives can minimize the risks associated with producing a volatile product, climb out of the cycles on debt that often plague poor individuals in the developing world, reinvest in their communities and business, and, most importantly, provide for their families.

Javatrekker tells the story of the people behind each cup of routine coffee we drink. It is eye-opening and will certainly prompt you to think, perhaps for the first time, about just how much goes into your 12oz. cup.

Thanks Dean!