Moral grounds: Priest works to help coffee farmers abroad

By Rhina Guidos
The Salt Lake Tribune

Rev. James Flynn enjoys a cup of coffee at a Park City Cafe - Flynn is leading Utah delegation to Nicaragua this fall to learn about the plight of coffee farmers in Latin America. (Ryan Galbraith/The Salt Lake Tribune)

To the semi-retired Roman Catholic priest, even the brown liquid in his coffee cup is a moral issue.

"It's a matter of justice," Flynn says, speaking of the amount of money that coffee farmers in places like Latin America receive for their crops. While coffee companies get $10 per pound of coffee, Flynn says, Latin American farmers get 48 cents a day for their work.

This fall, Flynn will take a delegation of Utahns to coffee plantations in Nicaragua.
And he's encouraging coffee consumers to pick up "fair-trade" labeled coffee, which guarantees farmers will get a fair price for their product.

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