The Bay Area Coffee Pro Book Club has gone International! 

Using the powers of the Internet, this month's edition of the Coffee Pro Book Club will be held simultaneously in two cities: Victoria, BC and San Francisco, CA. Lively discussion of the topic and cute Canadian accents will likely ensue.

But what is the topic, you ask? One often requested by book club members and a much discussed topic in the Specialty Coffee industry over the last year or so... Customer Service. 

Our primary book will be Setting the Table: The Transformational Power of Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer (2006, Harper). And for the keeners, (or you folks who want to revisit the dick-punch incident), we have some additional reading and viewing suggestions:

• 'Dialing-in Your Customer Service' by David Schomer, Barista Magazine, April-May 2012
• Lessons in Service, Charlie Trotter & Edmund Lawlor, 2001 Ten Speed Press
• Lessons in Excellence, Charlie Trotter & Paul Clarke, 1999 Ten Speed Press
• 'Brooklynite Denied Iced Espresso, Media Firestorm Ensues', Gawker.com, July 18, 2008: http://gawker.com/5026595/brooklynite-denied-iced-espresso-media-firestorm-ensues
• James Hoffman talks on Customer Service, June 12, 2011: http://www.tampertantrum.com/?p=102

We'll be holding this cross-border Book Club in two locations:

Date: Wednesday May 23rd

Time: 6:30pm

Place: Bows & Arrows Coffee Roasters, 483 Garbally Road, Victoria, BC and Ma*Velous Coffee, San Francisco, CA
San Francisco location: Mavelous Coffee & Wine Bar, 1408 Market Street, San Francisco

Victoria, BC location: Bows & Arrows Coffee Roasters, 483 Garbally Rd, Victoria

Great Book Club tonight! Alon shared many of his stories from the his book and we had a fun discussion. We had a nice mix of folks, from Book Club regulars, to visitors from out of town. All in all, another fantastic gathering of coffee-pro friends! Hooray for coffee!

January 2012 Meeting : The Infinite Emotions of Coffee

For the next book club meeting we'll be discussing the coffee travelogue recently published by the intrepid Alon Halevy: The Infinite Emotions of Coffee. The author himself (also a BACPBC regular member) will be on-hand to regale us with tales from the 30+ countries he visited during his research, defend any typos or historical inaccuracies, and answer any questions you might have about the wide array of topics Halevy covers in his ambitious book.

More info on The Infinite Emotions of Coffee can be found here, including how to purchase it in hardcover or e-book format: http://www.macchiatone.com

Join us!

Monday, January 16th

6:00pm
  Sightglass Coffee

                                       

Recent FT News and Additional Resources

A couple more links to help familiarize yourself with the Fair Trade debate :


Follow this link, and scroll down to the 'Comprender los Cambios Recientes en el Comercio Justo/ Understanding Recent Changes in Fair Trade' section. Download the presentations.
http://www.sustainableharvest.com/relationship-coffee/let/event-resources/
and
http://www.sustainableharvest.com/relationship-coffee/let/fair-trade/


And a great piece from last week's NY Times :
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/02/business/worldbusiness/02trade.html?pagewanted=all


Happy reading!

Nov. 29th Book Club Meeting and Fair Trade USA Round Table

For the second edition of the BACPBC, the theme is 'Developments in Fair Trade'.
We'll discuss the concept, practice, and critiques of Fair Trade, and the recent changes to Fair Trade USA. 


But that's not all... Ever had questions about Fair Trade? Do you have questions about the recent changes to Fair Trade USA? Now is your chance to have all your questions answered: a representative from Fair Trade USA will be on-hand for the discussion! 



We will be talking about the readings listed below, but we'd also encourage you to become familiar with the topic and the recent changes to Fair Trade policy through any and all forms of media. 

• ‘Introduction: Fair Trade and Global Capitalism’, Fair Trade Coffee: The Prospect and Pitfalls of Market-Driven Social Justice by Gavin Fridell. 2007.

• 'Profits and Poverty: Certification's Troubled Link for Nicaragua's Organic and Fair Trade Coffee Producers', by T. Beuchelt and M. Zeller. Ecological Economics 70 (2011), p.1316-1324. 

• ‘Conclusion: Fair Trade as Moral Economy’, Fair Trade Coffee: The Prospect and Pitfalls of Market-Driven Social Justice by Gavin Fridell. 2007.

• ‘Chapter 9: Strengthening Fair Trade’, Brewing Justice: Fair Trade Coffee, Sustainability, and Survival by Daniel Jaffee. 2007.

• ‘Fair Trade USA and SCS Announce Joint Partnership to Offer High-Quality, Cost-Effective Fair Trade Certification’ , Fair Trade USA Press Release, Sept 27, 2011.http://www.fairtradeusa.org/press-room/press_release/fair-trade-usa-and-scs-announce-joint-partnership-offer-high-quality-cost-e

• ‘Fair Trade Coffee 2.0’, by Jesse Hirsch. East Bay Express, Oct. 26, 2011. http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/fair-trade-coffee-20/Content?oid=302497

It's certain to be a lively and well-informed discussion. Don't miss it!
A huge thank you to Fair Trade USA and Sightglass Coffee for supporting the event. 
If you have trouble finding the suggested readings, or for any other questions, please email: coffeeprobookclub@gmail.com

What: Bay Area Coffee Pro Book Club Meeting and Fair Trade USA Round Table
When: Nov 29, 5:30-7:00 pm
Where: Sightglass Coffee, 270 7th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103