The Moral, Economic and Social Life of Coffee

Other academic conferences focus on agricultural and technical perspectives. Coffee Review's Kenneth Davids is presenting a paper on Saturday, November 1 on "The Competing Languages of Coffee: Trends in The Signs and Symbols of American Specialty Coffee."

Other presenters include Terroir Coffee's George Howell, Intelligentsia's Geoff Watts, historians, producers, and representatives from The World Bank, TransFair USA and the Smithsonian Bird Project. The debate between supporters of direct trade and other quality-first approaches to sustainability vs. adherents of certification, particularly Fair Trade, is inevitably going to be played out over the course of the conference.

For further information log on to www.coffeeconference.org.