Championing Fair Trade on Campus
What is a Fair Trade Campus?
Being a Fair Trade Campus means we are committed to supporting ethical sourcing and ensuring that our campus community has access to food and drink options that uphold fair trade standards. This includes providing certified Fair Trade products at campus dining and hospitality locations.
Our Commitment to Fair Trade
The University of Guelph is proud to be Ontario’s first Fair Trade Campus and the third in Canada, officially designated on November 28, 2012. With the support of Engineers Without Borders and the University Administration, a Fair Trade Campus Committee was formed to achieve this designation and our dedication has only grown since.
We proudly offer Fair Trade-certified and organic coffee and tea at all non-branded Hospitality Services locations and through our catering services. We also continually explore new Fair Trade confectionery options, promoting them across our social media and in dining halls. Keep an eye out for the Fair Trade symbol.
Gryphon Blend: Empowering Women, One Cup at a Time
Created in partnership with Planet Bean Coffee, the Gryphon Blend supports women locally and globally. Grown by Indigenous women in the Peruvian Andes through the Café Femenino program, this Fairtrade coffee helps break the cycle of poverty by paying women directly and fairly.
A portion of the proceeds supports women’s varsity athlete scholarships for the Guelph Gryphons.
Available at the University Bookstore and Planet Bean cafés.
Gryphon ‘64: Brewed for Community Impact
Our latest specialty blend, Gryphon ‘64, is roasted by Baden Coffee, a local Ontario roaster. With beans from Africa, Indonesia, and Central America, this dark roast features notes of ground pepper, with a smoky, balanced acidity.
This blend gives back: proceeds support the Guelph Student FoodBank, helping students access emergency food and poverty-relief resources.
Available at the University Bookstore.
A Farm to Farm System
Our Fair Trade commitments proudly support a "Farm to Farm" system.
All our spent coffee grinds from Hospitality Services cafe locations are composted. This means that our spent Fair Trade coffee beans, after being composted at the City of Guelph's Organic Waste Processing Facility, it is then sold as a high-quality soil amendment to farmers to apply to their fields.
