Rusty Car Coffee keeps producers’ well-being in mind

Rusty Car Coffee Company, Amy Bernhardt By Laura Umthun Down to Earth Correspondent ATHOL, Idaho — There is a story behind the name Rusty Car Coffee Company. Owner Amy Bernhardt said the inspiration comes from her daughter’s rusty old 1963 Plymouth Valiant, nicknamed “Vanity Flair.” Rusty Car Coffee is a home-based business located in Athol, Idaho, about 30 minutes north of Coeur d’Alene. The whole family contributes to the company’s success. They are also involved in old vehicle restoration, something that began as a hobby of Bernhardt’s husband, Chris. “My husband and kids work for kisses,” chuckles Bernhardt. Rusty Car Coffee offers varieties of coffees, teas and sugars from around the world and products are all certified Fair Trade, Rain Forest Alliance, and organic. Certified Organic Fair Trade coffees and teas are flavored with natural organic flavorings at recommended ratios, and are roasted to industry standards. Decaffeinated coffees use only the Swiss Water Process. The Bernhardts don’t travel the world in search of the best coffees, teas, sugars and cocoas. Instead, farmers around the world ship product their way. “The farmers ship us free samples, we evaluate them here and select the best,” says Bernhardt. Chemicals are used to decaffeinate most coffee, but the Swiss Water Process uses only water. It’s a patented process that results in decaffeinated coffees which are100 percent chemical free. In the “quest for the best” the Bernhardts discovered there were stories behind even the most commonplace mug of java. “Lives were being impacted by every cup consumed,” says Bernhardt. “That was the beginning of our journey into the world of the coffee bean.” The Bernhardts discovered the many inequities and injustices that hard-working farm families were forced to endure while providing the world’s coffee drinkers with their daily cup of Joe. “We decided we wanted to make a difference, no matter how small,” says Bernhardt. “So we started the process to become Fair Trade-certified.” Fair Trade certification guarantees a fair price to the farmers per pound of product sold. That extra support can translate into a roof, a new school, new medical facilities, essential food, and a better way of life said Bernhardt. “That better way of life, we feel, is meant for one and all,” she said. The Fair Trade Certified Label guarantees consumers that strict economic, social and environmental criteria were met in the production and trade of an agricultural product. Fair Trade Certification is currently available in the U.S. for coffee, tea, herbs, cocoa, chocolate, fresh fruit, flowers, sugar, rice, and vanilla. “Fair Trade Certification empowers farmers and farm workers to lift themselves out of poverty by investing in their farms and communities, protecting the environment, and developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace,” said Bernhardt. Although Rusty Car offers many different coffee blends, one of their coffees, Tanzania Peaberry, recently received high praise from the Coffee Review Magazine. This type of coffee consists entirely of peaberries, a kind of bean that results when the coffee fruit develops only a single, oval bean rather than the usual pair of flat-sided beans. Peaberries are found in the Mt. Kilimanjaro region of northern Tanzania. Coffee varieties change seasonally. “We do not warehouse the current crop and save it until next year,” says Bernhardt. “We select only the finest current crop coffees and purchase them monthly.” Rusty Car roasts six days a week, and the family gathers their own Rocky Mountain hardwoods for their old fashioned style roaster. Chris assembled the roaster himself. He took the furnace part of a pottery kiln, brought a drum made for coffee roasting, and hooked it up to a motor to turn the drum over a flame. The Bernhardts support car shows, racing and restoration projects by providing products for fundraisers. They also support faith, humanitarian and environmental projects worldwide. By purchasing Fair Trade certified products, the Bernhardts believe they are supporting a better way of life for farm families around the world. “We believe it is coffee with a conscience,” she said.