Ethics of Coffee

WHAT MAKES ETHICAL COFFEE?

Ground Central Coffee Company in Lynbrook. Photo By Brianna Rae

Asix-dollar price tag for your morning latte might be jarring, especially if you’d expect a friendlier fee from your local ma-and-pa coffee shop. The vanilla latte in your hands, however, has traveled through many others to reach the insulated, neatly printed and primed cup that is now comfortably placed within yours. The farming, shipping and labor of the beans all have their own ethical guidelines that come into play in the price of your cup of joe. The aesthetic and culinary value of coffee has soared within this past decade. The cafe is seen as a place of unity, study and social value. French-pressed, poured over or simply just brewed, coffee is a staple of many of our mornings.

It’s the eye twitch in our busiest of all-nighters; it’s the backbone of our morning small talk. Crunch time and mundane conversations alike, there’s no riddle to it — coffee fuels Long Island.

According to MacroTrends 45-year coffee pricing chart, the average price per pound of coffee has increased 76% since 2021. This nearly surpassed the biggest price-per-pound spike recorded in history, documented around 1994. When we adjust for inflation, however, the results are shocking.

What do we mean, then, when we speak of “ethical” coffee? It roots back to the community aspect, as Desiree Royer, manager of Ground Central Coffee Company in Lynbrook, explained. As a self-proclaimed humanitarian, she thrives on creating an inclusive and ethically sourced environment.

“Being empathetic towards all people, that’s definitely a skill I’ve learned being in the hospitality industry,” she said.

Ground Central, with six locations in the New York metropolitan area, inclu-

YOUR CUP OF JOE

BY BRIANNA RAE

des fair trade, limited waste and charity in its mission. It also prides itself on its attention to the finest of details, such as the specific weight of espresso and the “perfect” temperature of the milk.

Josh Castronuovo, a Hofstra alumnus and prior Starbucks barista, commented on the food waste that he witnessed during his year on the job. He explained that the display cases of food were discarded at the end of the day, leaving him with an unsettling feeling.

“I hated the idea of wasting food,” he said. “I lived in a house of seven. Someone was bound to eat it — just goes to show that the food was edible.”

On its website, Starbucks lists many ethical practices, including its waste reduction and ethical reframing goals, expected to take full force by 2030.

“As part of our ongoing aspiration to ... become a resource positive company, we are continuously looking for ways to better manage our waste,” the website states.

Ground Central, meanwhile, uses apps like TooGood2Go, a discount wholesale food app, to sell end-of-the-day pastries at half-price. Ethical production, sale and consumption requires a reduction in food waste, which, in turn, benefits the environment, including helping to mitigate the climate crisis.

“A lot of people can’t afford a fivedollar pastry,” Royer added.

La Colombe Coffee, Ground Central’s supplier, notes the further implications of its contributions.

The business pratices fair trade (sufficiently funding the farmers and workers who distribute the bean), alongside funding educational tools for local coffee harvesting communities. Its ethics statement, distributed in its shops, reads: “We believe in doing good, both in our backyard and in the communities we do business with across the globe. We operate with future generations and the health of our planet in mind.”

You can see this mentality in the finest of details. Even the straws are recyclable, paper-free and do not dissolve in water like certain other ecofriendly alternatives.

“They’re actually made from the agave plant,” Royer said.

The next time you stride into your shop, jarred by the prices, pay attention to the work that goes into your cup. Investigate the ethics, as a quick Google search can provide aid in deciding where to give your business. According to Macrotrends, your cup is, by comparison, at the lowest price it’s been since the ’90s. We may not notice it — primarily because of inflation — but the higher cost is worth the livelihood of the farmers, the effort of local baristas and the environment.

“We believe in leaving a better world for future generations,” La Colombe Coffee states on its website.