If you love coffee (or you know someone who does), you must stop by booth #553 in the Exhibit Hall and learn the story of Café Justo (Just Coffee). In 2002 this coffee cooperative was birthed by a partnership that included the Presbyterian Border Ministry of Frontera de Cristo and Lily of the Valley Church in Agua Prieta, Sonora, in response to immigration, of all things.
I serve a church at ground zero for the immigration debate: Arizona. Café Justo offers an alternate response to the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Rather than trying to stop people from coming to the U.S., we need to ask why they’re coming. Many are leaving farms that have been shut down due to unfair trade policies. Who can compete with corn in the U.S. that is heavily subsidized by the government?
Café Justo is a cooperative of family farmers in Chiapas in southern Mexico, Veracruz in central Mexico, and Agua Prieta in northern Mexico. The fruit is grown in Chiapas. Some of it is decaffeinated in Veracruz. And all of it is roasted in Chiapas, just across the border from Douglas, Arizona. On each bag of coffee is the name of the grower member of the coop.
Café Justo is about sustainable wages that help those who want to stay in their communities, rather than migrate to the U.S. The grow some of the best coffee beans I’ve had the pleasure of tasting. At only $12 per bag (or 3 for $30), you are sharing in helping families stay together, promote a quality product, and building relationships across our borders. Also, they’re offering free samples at the booth!
