Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee by Dean Cycon

Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee Reviews

• 
  Chana

  Three things I liked about the book:
  1. The good things he accomplishes for coffee farmers and amputees.
  2. His sense of humor
  3. His sense of perspective. He gets a little anti-American and anti-capitalistic
  sometimes (we've earned it) but he doesn't gloss over the dictators, the thugs, the weapons, the crimes,
  revolutionaries and counterrevolutionaries or even the eccentricities and anti-socialism
  of the people in the countries in which he works. He is pretty good at laughing at
  himself and not running other people (or their religions or social or government
  systems) down.
  He takes us into Ethiopia, Kenya, Columbia, Peru, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico, El Salvador, Sumatra and Papa New Guinea.
  His business is coffee, his company is Dean's Beans and his motive is helping people. Put it all together and he calls it Javatrekking.
  My coffee, Tony's Espresso Noir, is fair-trade but it doesn't say on the bag where the beans were grown.
  
  One note: needs better editing. On the death-train and amputee section Dean writes about a coffee farmer from Honduras and says, "Things got quiet as Wilmer looked down at two stumps cut off above where his knees were." There is a picture of Wilmer in the book and he is missing one leg from above the knee. The other leg is whole and intact as you can see as he is wearing shorts.
• 
  Roxana Dreptu

  I have to admit I was a bit reluctant to read this book at first, as I am not the biggest fan of nonfiction and as it sometimes turned out to hold an agenda of its own. However, I stand corrected and Javatrekker impressed me. There is so little we know about where our coffee comes from and about the way of life of people that plant and harvest it, then intermediate its route to our cups. El Tren de la Muerte was what touched me the most, but nonetheless there are heartwarming and even funny stories throughout the book.
• 
  Rachel (Sfogs)

  An Amazing read! This book will tell you what really happened, so that you could get your morning coffee. See the highs and lows, Amazing true stories of coffee farmers from all over the world! A real gem!
  
  *I brought this book from my local Trade Aid shop with my birthday money! and I plan on registering the book on
  www.Bookcrossing.com and sending it on it's own adventure, to help spread the word!*
• 
  R.L.

  Κριτική στα Ελληνικά ακολουθεί πιο κάτω...
  
  This was a very interesting book but somehow it took me much longer to read than expected and I can’t figure out why. Maybe it has to do with me been quite preoccupied with other stuff right now, I don’t know.
  
  I didn’t have specific expectations from the book, so I found it an interesting insight on coffee industry, Fair Trade movement and indigenous people’s/coffee farmers’ lives around the world, still I found it a bit all over the place. “Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee” doesn’t seem to focus enough on each issue, so someone unfamiliar with the topic can hardly get a deeper understanding on things. The book consists of snippets from Dean Cycon’s experiences all around the world which aren’t detailed enough to get more than a glimpse on each issue/area, while the author doesn’t restrict his self on the coffee production and coffee trade field, but roams on other fields too. Interesting fields for sure, but the book feels somehow fragmental. There is core material for several different books here!
  
  Furthermore, while in general I think the author is a good guy making an important work, I can’t stop feeling than this book trims some corners a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean the author tells lies in purpose or something, but I’m sure that as it happens in most memoirs etc, often he focuses on the positive side of things and doesn’t mention what went wrong on some projects or various small mischiefs that surely must have happen during his trips. And I’m not talking about an upset stomach or specific people on a specific location slamming their doors to him, but on how it’s possible overcoming bureaucracy in countries run by corrupted governments without never ever giving a bribe, or meeting a local mafia guy due to a misunderstanding while talking to the hotel receptionist, or how it happens having people drive you in the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason and without apparent consequences and so on… Not very convincing.
  
  Then of course, it’s easy to judge by one’ sofa while others trek the world trying to improve people’s lives…
  
  I’m glad I read this book, although I don’t think it’s something that calls for a re-read.
  
  
  Ένα ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο, γραμμένο από τον ιδρυτή της Dean’s Beans. Το βιβλίο πλέον είναι δεκαετίας, αλλά δυστυχώς πιστεύω αρκετά επίκαιρο και σήμερα.
  
  Ο Dean Cycon, αν και επικεφαλής μεγάλης εταιρείας, δεν αφήνει την δύσκολη δουλειά σε μεσάζοντες ή στο προσωπικό του και σε αντίθεση με πολλούς εμπλεκόμενους στο κίνημα Fair Trade, πηγαίνει απευθείας στην πηγή, γνωρίζει τους αγρότες και παραγωγούς καφέ σε πολλά απομονωμένα σημεία του κόσμου και δεν βασίζεται σε αναφορές τρίτων. Σαν ακτιβιστής με ευρύτερες ευαισθησίες, συχνά συνεργάζεται με άλλους οργανισμούς, εταιρείες και κινήματα για να βοηθήσει αυτούς που έχουν ανάγκη, ακόμα κι αν δεν υπάρχει άμεση συσχέτιση με την παραγωγή καφέ.
  
  Το βιβλίο περιέχει διαφορετικά κεφάλαια για κάθε περιοχή του κόσμου και κάθε κεφάλαιο περιγράφει μία επίσκεψη του συγγραφέα εκεί. Σίγουρα είναι αρκετά διαφωτιστικό για τις συνθήκες στις οποίες ζουν οι αγρότες και τα προβλήματα που αντιμετωπίζουν και για το πώς δουλεύει το κίνημα Fair Trade προκειμένου να βοηθήσει αυτούς τους ανθρώπους. Στην αφήγηση μπλέκονται και άλλα θέματα, όχι μόνο ανθρωπιστικού, αλλά και ανθρωπολογικού και πολιτικού και λαογραφικού ενδιαφέροντος, καθώς πολλοί αγρότες ανήκουν σε αυτόχθονες, απομονωμένες φυλές ή προσπαθούν να επιβιώσουν εν μέσω εμφυλίων, ταραχών, κλιματικής αλλαγής, φυσικών καταστροφών και διεφθαρμένων καθεστώτων.
  
  Το πρόβλημα του “Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee” είναι νομίζω ακριβώς αυτό: Το βιβλίο δεν επικεντρώνεται αρκετά σε ένα θέμα ή μια περιοχή, με αποτέλεσμα να μην καταφέρνει ο αναγνώστης να κατανοήσει σε πολύ βάθος το κάθε θέμα ή να επικεντρωθεί σε μια συγκεκριμένη διάσταση του κάθε προβλήματος. Υπάρχει υλικό που θα μπορούσε να γεμίσει πολλά διαφορετικά βιβλία!
  
  Ακόμα, είμαι σίγουρη ότι το ισοζύγιο είναι θετικό για τον συγγραφέα, σίγουρα έχει βοηθήσει πολύ κόσμο και έχει καλές προθέσεις. Ωστόσο, δεν μπορώ παρά να αμφιβάλω αν δεν τα παρουσιάζει όλα λιγάκι πιο αρμονικά, θετικά και αγγελικά πλασμένα από ότι στην πραγματικότητα συνέβησαν/συμβαίνουν. Αυτό είναι πάντα πρόβλημα με τα αυτοβιογραφικά βιβλία. Δηλαδή πέρα από ένα ταραγμένο στομάχι ή από ντόπιους που κάποιες φορές μπορεί να του έκλεισαν την πόρτα στα μούτρα, δεν αντιμετώπισε άλλες δυσκολίες; Έγιναν τα πράγματα ακριβώς έτσι;
  
  Γιατί ένα φορτηγό ας πούμε σταματάει όταν κάνεις ωτοστόπ, σε παίρνει και σε πάει σε αντίθετη κατεύθυνση στην μέση του πουθενά και σε παρατάει χωρίς εξήγηση ή χωρίς να σου μιλήσει ή να σε πειράξει ο οδηγός ή κάποιος άλλος; Κάνεις μια γενική συζήτηση με έναν ρεσεψιονίστ ξενοδοχείου για την ντόπια μαφία και ξαφνικά το ίδιο βράδυ σου παρουσιάζει ένα μέλος των ντόπιων συμμοριών χωρίς να το ζητήσεις; Κι εσύ πας για ποτά, τον συγχύζεις και φεύγεις σαν να μην τρέχει τίποτα; Σε μια χώρα που η κυβέρνηση σε δουλεύει κανονικά και παίρνει από παντού μίζες, κινείσαι άνετος τριγύρω και τελικά κάνεις δουλειά με τον τρόπο σου χωρίς να αναγκαστείς να κάνεις συμβιβασμούς; Χμ… Δεν ξέρω.
  
  Βεβαίως είναι εύκολο να κρίνω από τον καναπέ μου, όταν ο συγγραφέας γυρνάει τον κόσμο προσπαθώντας να βελτιώσει τις ζωές των ανθρώπων…
  
  Σίγουρα ένα πολύ ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο, από αυτά όμως που η μία ανάγνωση είναι αρκετή.
• 
  Trish

  The story got a little repetative after a while. But what a great lesson about doing business and trying to meet people where they are instead of thrusting our own ideas upon them. What a brave and open hearted man to live and do all the things he has done!
• 
  Joe

  If you care what's in your cup, read this book!
• 
  Evi

  An eye-opening book for people like me who had no idea how Fair Trade works. I am not sure if i understood everything about how the World Bank and the globalization works toward the impoverishment of the farmers, but now i grasp an idea and i have decided to be more careful while selecting which coffee to buy.
• 
  Courtney Smith

  Loved this book. It is really eye opening and informational about the coffee industry around the world.
• 
  DubaiReader

  An eye-opener.
  
  This book was informative, but a slow read. Some chapters were fascinating and grabbed me from the start, some were overly political and lost me completely. I've been picking this up and putting it down again for several months so it's quite a relief to reach the end. On the other hand, I have full respect for the work of Dean Cycon, founder of Dean's Beans. He has travelled to the source of his supplies and treats his farmers with compassion and dignity.
  
  The chapters each refer to one visit, one area of the world, dating between 1997 and 2007. I had no idea there were so many coffee producing areas. Dean's main message to the farmers is to work together to cut out the money grabbing middle-man and, via co-operatives, to produce Free Trade coffee of uniform quality. To this end he supports them by providing fairly inexpensive equipment that facilitates the process of hulling the beans and returns a percentage of the profits directly to the farmers for improvements within the area. This may be schooling, social improvements, wells etc.
  
  Some parts are quite distressing, such as the Death Train, which refers to a freight train that runs from the border of Guatemala and Mexico, right up to the US border. It is swarming with desperate people who are unable to feed their families due to the poor prices they earn for their coffee. These people travel in all weathers, squeezed betwen carriages or sitting on cargo. Meanwhile others use violence and extortion to steal what little these poor people may be carrying. And there's no guarentee of work when they arrive. Many fall from the train and are injured on the line, losing limbs or even their lives.
  
  Fortunately other chapters are upbeat, such as Dean's visit to Papua New Guinea. These people are self sufficient in food production and coffee is just a part of their produce. They greeted Dean with song and dance, many of them plastered with mud of various colours.
  
  I certainly learned a lot and am now better informed about the source of the coffee I drink.
  3 stars for the book itself but 5 stars for the great work that Dean Cycon is doing around the world.
  
• 
  Richard

  While I am giving this book only an average review, I am doing so only because I think it tried to accomplish too many goals: travelogue regarding remote coffee growing peoples/areas and primer on fair trade issues surrounding the plight of subsistence coffee growers around the world.
  
  If author Dean Cykon, owner of Dean's Beans in Boston, hoped that readers would be more sensitized to the plight of coffee farmers and that consumers would pursue the purchase of fair trade coffee beans, he accomplished his mission with me. I have been persistent in insuring that my work place has fair trade coffee available to my fellow employees.
  
  Cykon, a lawyer turned coffee distributor, has been at the forefront of bringing economic rights and community development to impoverished coffee growing areas around the world, and for that he should be strongly commended.
• 
  Jenn

  This book really felt in some ways more like a travelog or diary than an objective analytical overview of early millennial third world coffee farmers. At first I was annoyed because Dean (the author and "star" of the show) really paints himself in a very flattering light but by the end he's like the loud, obnoxious yet entertaining Uncle that gets drunk at all the family weddings and you just laugh and learn to live with it. While I was hoping it would be a bit more objective and address global initiatives being taken to improve the lives of the coffee farmers (not just what Dean's Beans is doing to help them) overall I would say I enjoyed the humanity he brings to the stories he tells about his world of coffee.
• 
  Mo

  An interesting book about fair trade coffee and the politics of coffee worldwide--the author started a company called Dean's Beans. If you don't already know about the dirty, dirty business that is coffee, this is a good place to start (or the documentary Black Gold). I wonder what kind of scary impact the closing of those 600 Starbucks stores is going to have on coffee futures trading...every little shift in the market effects the farmers at a sustinence level (whether they sell to Starbucks or not), and a shift of 50 cents per pound can mean the difference between life and death that year.
• 
  Shovelmonkey1

  This is a great introduction to the world of fair trade coffee and the background to the social, financial and political injustices that occur in the coffee lands (as well as the positive steps being taken by cooperatives). The places which provide our coffee in Sumatra, Ethiopa, Kenya, Columbia and Papua New Guinea are in need of support and development. Next time you turn on your kettle or cesve think about where that coffee came from and all the hands it passed through in order to make it into your cup.
• 
  Jeane

  Finally done with this book! It took me a while to read it because mainly my state-of-mind wasn't in a good place to read a non-fiction book, but too much else on my mind. This is an awesome travel book about a guys journey to better the lives of coffee planters world wide. He goes to some of the most amazing places where they grow free-trade coffee. The stories are amazing and often touching and heart-felt, but also hilarious.I highly recommend if you like coffee, and you like travel books. The chapters could have been much shorter, but there is nothing really wrong with that.
• 
  Kate

  Javatrekker was a thought provoking read and I certainly learnt a lot about coffee production and the associated problems. I found it a bit too heavy going with politics in places. However, there was humour to lighten the load and Dean can certainly tell a good tale. I am in awe that one man has achieved so much to help so many people. The achievements in any one of these chapters would have been sufficient for most people but to have accomplished so much on such a scale is truly amazing.
  
• 
  Devin Wallace

  Javatrekker is a great way to introduce yourself into the world of fair-trade coffee and its counter-part: free trade. Combining real accounts of Dean Cycon, the author and founder of Dean's Beans, with factual information that enlightens, I never wanted to put Javatrekker down, but when I did, I came crawling back to it.
• 
  James

  Required reading for all of my coffee students ... and the only book I routinely buy to put in the hands of other people. I guess that makes it like the Gideon's Bible of coffee.
  
  With equal parts wit and compassion, Cycon tells the real stories behind coffee, based on his travels throughout Coffeelands.
  
  Read this, and you might never touch a cup of Dunkin' again!
• 
  Fred

  Part travel journal, part anthropology, but mostly a reminder that our collective, consumer choices have global impact on the remote villages throughout the world. If you're into coffee and social justice (and feel they are compatible), then this book may change your buying habits.
• 
  Beth

  I like this book as much as I love Dean's coffee so far -- high praise indeed. It's got great travel tales about compelling people. I'm in Africa right now and look forward to visiting South America, Central America and Asia along with Mr. Cycon. Gotta go read...
• 
  Charlie

  It is true. you will indeed never look at your cup'o joe quite the same after reading this book. I think it is for the better, you should know the struggles and trials that bring a good bean to the US.
• 
  MsBrie

  It's all about the Fair Trade