Sample Letter to the Editor
[DATE]
Though we'd never know it while sipping our morning lattes in [YOUR TOWN], there's a crisis crippling the coffee industry right now. It’s destroying the livelihoods of 25 million coffee-growing families in 50 countries around the world. Unlike most other international crises we read about, there is something that we can do to help. It's as simple as drinking Fair Trade Certified coffee.
A massive oversupply of coffee has slashed global coffee prices by 70 percent in the last five years. Coffee farmers are now being forced to sell their beans at a fraction of the production costs and are struggling to pay for their families' food, clothing, and school fees. Yet major coffee companies like Kraft, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble and Sara Lee continue to make massive profits.
What can we do? Humanitarian agency Oxfam released a detailed report on the coffee crisis and its devastating effects worldwide, as well as proposed solutions to help end the crisis. Oxfam is calling for policies that match supply with demand and help coffee farming communities support themselves. We need to ensure not only that our morning cup of coffee tastes good, but that it does good too. By drinking Fair Trade Certified coffee we ensure that farmers get a fair deal for their hard work. It also guarantees the quality coffee that we expect.
Please make a commitment to drink Fair Trade coffee, and encourage your friends and co-workers to make the switch too. Ask for it at coffee shops and supermarkets. For more information on Oxfam's coffee report and campaign, visit http://www.oxfamamerica.org/campaigncoffee and http://www.maketradefair.com.
[NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[DAYTIME PHONE NUMBER]