Inside the front flap of Starbucks’ box are African Arabica beans grown on a plantation in a threatened mountain rain forest. Behind the lofty phrases on the back label are coffee workers who make less than a dollar a day and a dispute between plantation officials and neighboring tribal people, who accuse the plantation of using their ancestral land and jeopardizing their way of life.

“We used to hunt and fish in there, and also we used to have honeybee hives in trees,” one tribal member, Mikael Yatola, said through a translator. “But now we can’t do that. When we were told to remove our beehives from there, we felt deep sorrow, deep sadness.” (via Organic Consumer)

Last year, I remember receiving an email that beckoned me; No, it “screamed” at me to fax, phone, petition and join an online protest against Starbucks, the giant coffee chain known for turning a cup of JOE into the Yuppie beverage of choice.

Surprised by the allegations, I began my research, becoming even more interested in the apparent coffee revolution brewing around the African coffee trade. As a descendent of people who had often discussed their coffee farms in the Voinjama Mountains of Liberia, West Africa, it felt like life had come full circle with that email – almost karma like.

So, in my continual exploration of how technology is affecting change in Africa, I again received an email (from partner) about an organization know as CROP TO CUP.
Crop to Cup describes itself as a “network of partners and farmer entrepreneurs working towards the improvement of livelihoods through the digitization of coffee farming.”

Interesting concept I thought, so I headed over to the website and sure enough – Coffee has gone 2.0! On the site (croptocup.com), one can order products, network with the Ugandan Farmers producing branded Bugisu AA and Citizen’s Espresso Blend. Through this online business concept, one can literally “track a cup of coffee from point of purchase back to the people who produce it. For those living in the United States, there is even a list of restaurants and places to buy. Through the use of technology and an interactive model, consumers and farmers form an intimate connection – ultimately creating brand loyalty.

After reviewing Crop To Cup, seems this group is out to prove that Java is not just a 2.0 application but a way of bringing dignity back to the African coffee trade.