Organic Pilsner and pinot noir, fair trade–certified coffee and vodka made from quinoa by farm cooperatives in Bolivia.
It wasn’t the most traditional interpretation of Passover’s four cups, but at the EcoJews of the Bay’s fundraiser and tasting, no one was complaining.
The 4 (Sustainable) Cups, held April 11 at San Francisco’s ThirstyBear Brewing Company, featured a panel discussion with representatives of four companies working to promote ecological sustainability and economic justice through their products: Stephen Ashton of Sonoma County’s Ashton Vineyards; Ron Silberstein, head brewer and managing partner at ThirstyBear; Paul Katzeff, co-founder of Thanksgiving Coffee, based out of Fort Bragg; and Katie Barrow, the public relations manager of Fair Trade USA, whose headquarters are in Oakland.
Over the course of an hour, in front of an intimate group of about 30, panelists shared the stories behind their companies’ ethics, as well as their interpretations of the connection between sustainability and Jewish values.
Noting that ThirstyBear was San Francisco’s first certified organic brewery, Silberstein said his Jewish upbringing had always shaped his environmentalism.
“In Deuteronomy, there’s a passage about how you must preserve the fruit trees, even in the city you’re at war with,” he said. “That sense of respect really stood out to me.”
ThirstyBear’s beers are brewed using chemical- and pesticide-free grains and hops, and they’re experimenting with practices such as serving their by-the-glass wines from oaked kegs to eliminate packaging waste.
Katzeff, a former president of the Specialty Coffee Association of America, said that while he founded Thanksgiving Coffee in 1972, he came late to the concept of sustainability.
“Until 1985, all I was interested in was product,” he said.
His transformation was abrupt: On a business trip to Nicaragua immediately following the Sandinista revolution, he saw the poverty in which many Nicaraguans lived, and the working conditions under which coffee farmers toiled to produce beans.
“I came back from seven days in Nicaragua and changed the company slogan to ‘Not Just a Cup, But a Just Cup,’ ” he explained.
Ashton, a writer and filmmaker as well as the proprietor of Ashton Vineyards, spoke to the Jewish values in place at his winery, which uses a water table system to ensure that as much water as possible is saved and reused in the farming process.
“I was raised with the ethic of, you finish what’s on your plate, you don’t waste anything,” he said.
Barrow, of Fair Trade USA, answered questions on behalf of the national accrediting organization, which has approved 900 different brands, such as Honest Tea and, most recently, several Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors.
She was also representing FAIR, the world’s first fair trade–certified vodka, made from quinoa by more than 1,200 small producers in the Bolivian Altiplano. Quinoa, she explained, is currently the main source of revenue in Bolivia.
“If a farmer can’t feed his kids, or send his kids to school, he’s not going to spend money on improving his fertilizer,” she said. “That’s what fair trade is about — benefiting the people behind the product.”
During the tasting session following the Q&A, attendees sampled wares from each company.
Ilana Gauss, co-founder and chair of EcoJews of the Bay, said the event was an example of how the 6-year-old, volunteer-run group hopes to inspire environmental action through Jewish values.
“For people who want to be active in the Jewish community and are already environmentalists, it’s this nice crossroads,” said Gauss. “And for the greater Jewish community, we want to show that there really are these deep connections between Judaism and sustainability. We have so much to look to for inspiration.”