The Way of Tea and Justice : Rescuing the World's Favorite Beverage From Its Violent History

"In 2012, reverend and social entrepreneur Becca Stevens began work on the Thistle Stop Café, a business designed to provide employment opportunities for the residents of Magdalene, as well as Thistle Farms, the social enterprise benefitting women recovering from violence and addiction. As she explored the legacy of tea, she uncovered not only its healing mysteries but also the dark secrets that have overshadowed this ancient brew. In THE WAY OF TEA AND JUSTICE, Becca draws readers into the world of tea-making, as she works with cooperatives and coalitions across the globe to ensure fair trade and community enhancement in every cup of tea the café brews. But beneath the beauty of the tea ritual, she found an underbelly of corruption, abuse, and extortion that plagues laborers in the tea industry. True to her nature as an activist and a storyteller, she recounts stories of triumph for impoverished tea pickers and the tales of struggle and hope that have poured in with hundreds of teacups that have been donated to the café. "-- In 2012, reverend and social entrepreneur Becca Stevens began work on the Thistle Stop Café, a business designed to provide employment opportunities for the residents of Magdalene, as well as Thistle Farms, the social enterprise benefitting women recovering from violence and addiction. As she explored the legacy of tea, she uncovered not only its healing mysteries but also the dark secrets that have overshadowed this ancient brew. In THE WAY OF TEA AND JUSTICE, Becca draws readers into the world of tea-making, as she works with cooperatives and coalitions across the globe to ensure fair trade and community enhancement in every cup of tea the café brews. But beneath the beauty of the tea ritual, she found an underbelly of corruption, abuse, and extortion that plagues laborers in the tea industry. True to her nature as an activist and a storyteller, she recounts stories of triumph for impoverished tea pickers and the tales of struggle and hope that have poured in with... Social Science / Agriculture & Food (See Also Political Science / Public Policy / Agric, Political Science / Human Rights, Religion / Christian Life / Social Issues, Religion / Christian Life / Women’S Issues What started as an impossible dream-to build a café that employs women recovering from prostitution and addiction-is helping to fuel an astonishing movement to bring freedom and fair wages to women producers worldwide where tea and trafficking are linked by oppression and the opiate wars. Becca Stevens started the Thistle Stop Café to empower women survivors. But when she discovered a connection between café workers and tea laborers overseas, she embarked on a global mission called "Shared Trade" to increase the value of women survivors and producers across the globe. As she recounts the victories and unexpected challenges of building the café, Becca also sweeps the reader into the world of tea, where timeless rituals transport to an era of beauty and the challenging truths about tea's darker, more violent history. She offers moving reflections of the meaning of tea in our lives, plus recipes for tea blends that readers can make themselves. In this journey of triumph for impoverished tea laborers, hope for café workers, and insight into the history of tea, Becca sets out to defy the odds and prove that love is the most powerful force for transformation on earth. "In 2012, reverend and social entrepreneur Becca Stevens began work on the Thistle Stop Café, a business designed to provide employment opportunities for the residents of Magdalene, as well as Thistle Farms, the social enterprise benefitting women recovering from violence and addiction. As she explored the legacy of tea, she uncovered not only its healing mysteries but also the dark secrets that have overshadowed this ancient brew. In THE WAY OF TEA AND JUSTICE, Becca draws readers into the world of tea-making, as she works with cooperatives and coalitions across the globe to ensure fair trade and community enhancement in every cup of tea the café brews. But beneath the beauty of the tea ritual, she found an underbelly of corruption, abuse, and extortion that plagues laborers in the tea industry. True to her nature as an activist and a storyteller, she recounts stories of triumph for impoverished tea pickers and the tales of struggle and hope that have poured in with hundreds of teacups that have been donated to the café. "-- Provided by publisher The founder of the Thistle Stop Cafe shares how people are contributing--one cup of tea at a time--to a worldwide movement for fair wages and safe working conditions for tea laborers around the world.