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Coffee Co.
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get to know Jessica Smith
Breakfast Smoothie
FT Coffee Co.’s New Senior Buyer Shares Favorite Organic Recipe
First, I would like to say thank you for your continued support amidst the recent turn of events concerning FT Coffee Co.’s sourcing mishap. I am happy to be part of the team and will continue to work ensuring that ALL of our products are ethically sourced and fairtrade certified, as promised. As I continue to evolve in this role, please be sure to check our Twitter @FTCoffeeCo for all our latest news reports and finding surrounding our ongoing inquiry. You can also follow me on Twitter @Jessica_FTCO.
As a right of passage, the marketing team has informed me that all newbies post an organic, green recipe on the blog.
Keep reading…
If you are like me, you are one of those people whose morning just isn’t complete without a hot cup of coffee. There are countless variations on how to take it, but I prefer black. Each cup is like a little pot of gold. Nothing compliments coffee more than to sip it with breakfast. Breakfast is often said to be the most important meal of the day, providing many benefits: it improves your metabolism, fuels your brain and helps to lower bad cholesterol. I know what you are thinking, you are too busy to stop for a healthy breakfast. I have the solution for you, breakfast coffee smoothie.
The current average caffeine consumption is 135 mg per day, mostly from coffee. Though, there has been concern that too much caffeine can have adverse effects on your health, recent studies show that caffeine can improve your health. Some of these benefits are improving gut microorganisms, regulate blood sugar and assist fat metabolism. How do you know which type of coffee has too much caffeine? Here are some examples from FoodData Central:
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Coffee shop blend – 235 mg per 12 fluid oz
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Americano – 150 mg per 12 fluid oz
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Home brewed coffee – 92 mg per 8 fluid oz
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Instant coffee – 63 mg per 8 fluid oz
These seven ingredients are like magic. Of course, feel free to adjust to dietary or allergic needs. You will need:
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1 banana (frozen, if you prefer not to use ice)
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8 oz almond milk (substitute as needed)
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1 TBSP natural peanut butter (substitute protein powder for nut allegies)
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1 Packet instant fairtrade coffee
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1 tsp of flax seed
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Ice as desired (optional if using frozen bananas)
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Tip: if the smoothie is too thick for the blender, add more liquid until you reach your desired consistency.
Enjoy!
Los Angeles, 1995
How Fairtrade Works
Green Coffee Shop Duo Remain Committed to Fairtrade Values
FT Coffee Co started in 1995 by brother and sister who shared a love for coffee. One sunny afternoon while sitting in a café in Los Angeles, the duo decided to open their own café with the intention of doing good for the communities who produce coffee products. The duo felt a moral obligation to use their platform to promote ethical consumerism. The two built FT Coffee Co.’s mission on the promise that their products should be natural and organic, as well as uphold values and ethics to developing country sustainability. And so, FT Coffee Co. was born.
The duo was saddened when they heard the news that a senior buyer had sourced products from a “big box” distributor. They have dedicated years to build and keep their fairtrade promise, not only to global farmers, but also to their loyal customers who share the same passion for a global community. FT Coffee Co.’s culture is built around the same principles since the first day in 1995.
FT Coffee Co.’s mission is to define fairtrade, to bring awareness to social issues, and what consumers can do to assist developing countries through ethical consumption. So, what is fairtrade? Simply, fairtrade is an attempt to establish fair, humane global market justice for farmers and communities in developing countries. For decades the global distribution market has a history of paying poor wages with market fluctuations oftentimes forcing farmers to migrate and disrupting entire communities.
While there are many key issues that fairtrade addresses, here are some of the company’s top priorities:
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Child labor – Over 160 million children worldwide are forced into labor, oftentimes malnourished and abused.
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Climate change – Millions of small-scale farms produce more than three quarters of the world’s food supply, much of which have been affected by droughts, extreme weather and soil erosion.
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Decent livelihood – Ensuring all farmers, their families and communities maintain basic human rights and are not living in poverty.
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Gender equality – Closing the gender gap on pay, as well as preventing gender inequality and abuse.
Younger consumers have a greater chance to influence ethical consumerism. Gen Z are digital natives and are no stranger to using social media platforms. Studies have shown that this generation has the chance to influence their peers by projecting their authentic selves online and offline platforms creating positive ethical shifts in culture. FT Coffee Co. is also a proud sponsor of young business professional networking groups. Please reach out to Jill at marketing@ftcoffeeco.com for event sponsorship information.
While many consumers are feeling the pinch of the rise of inflation, FT Coffee Co. stays committed to ethical sourcing and distribution. While “big box” distribution can source their products at much cheaper prices, FT Coffee Co. finds other ways to absorb the cost, never passing the inflation onto their loyal customers. From the stakeholders, CEO and through to every warehouse associate, every individual is committed to maintaining sustainable culture.
FT Coffee Co. firmly believes in these social issues and is committed to ethical treatment of small sustainable farmers. Five years after establishing their flagship café in Los Angeles, FT Coffee Co. received their certification from Fairtrade International. To this day, the brother and sister duo are proud to be one of the 1,800 coffee distributors worldwide to uphold this standard. Recently the duo has announced the opening of their latest café in Tampa, FL, making it their 20th location. Since their fairtrade certification, FT Coffee Co. has donated 10% of every cup of coffee sold to Fairtrade International. To show how committed FT Coffee Co. is in response to the recent wrongdoing, FTCO will increase their donation to 15% to make up for the lost income to deserving farmers and their communities.
Please visit us on Twitter @FTCoffeeCo for all the latest reports and finding. Check out our new blog post from Jessica Smith, our newest Senior Buyer at FT Coffee Co.!
