Reports

Geography Qualitative Methods Readers

2006

Coffee and tea production, consumption and the generation of waste: Perceptions of consumers and coffee shop owners in the Capital Regional District of Victoria, BC

Gutberlet, J., with Cavers, M., Hunter, A., Pukonen, J., Sieber, C. and Taylor, E. (2006). Victoria: CBRL.

Abstract: Coffee and tea are ubiquitous products of daily consumption that almost everybody can relate to. However, most consumers don’t know about the origins of their beverage, nor about the circumstances under which they were produced. Furthermore, most consumers don’t connect a disposable cup of coffee or tea with resource depletion or environmental contamination. The papers presented here discuss coffee and tea consumption in Victoria from diverse perspectives and with different focal points. In chapter 2 the consumption of landscapes and rituals related to the tea ceremony are illustrated hortugh a reading of the imaginary and ‘real’ high-tea service at The Empress. In Chapter 3 the local roots of tea consumption are explored, looking at the acceptance and consumption of locally grown teas in Victoria. Chapter 4 explores consumer knowledge of organic coffee, and the motivations and barriers to purchasing organic beverages. Chapter 5 explore the role of the Fair trade label in coffee and tea consumption. Finally in Chapter 6 the post-consumption problematic is discussed with a focus on the generation of waste through disposable cups.

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