On its Web site, Dean's Beans claims that "every cup you drink and every pound you buy contributes directly to the welfare of coffee growers and consumers."
By using Dean's Beans, Dining Services will support a local business-the company roasts all of its coffee in New Salem, Mass.-while supplying students and faculty members with better coffee. "I could only see positives from all the way around," said Thompson.
President Anthony Marx agreed that supporting a local business is a worthy cause. "I believe it is worth an extra penny or two to make sure the people who are producing that coffee are getting a living wage," he said.
Dining Services checked with a number of different coffee manufacturers and received a variety of price quotes. Although Dean's will be more expensive than some other brands, Thompson taste-tested a number of the competitors and discovered that Fair Trade coffee was the highest quality, in addition to being environmentally and socially responsible.
Currently, Schwemm's Gourmet Coffee House serves Fair Trade coffee, a fact which helped Thompson with his brand decision. "We were just looking for a better cup of coffee, and there's been good feedback from the Campus Center," said Thompson. Smith and Williams Colleges have also recently made a popular switch to Fair Trade.
Thompson hoped to start serving the new coffee last week, but could not due to a problem with equipment installation. "Hopefully by Thursday evening we'll be serving new coffee," he said.