below production costs and many struggled.

Tom Kilroy visited Nicaragua in 2003 as a volunteer and decided to help impoverished ex-Contras he met.

Although Kilroy admits he was only 10 during the Iran-Contra hearings, he has been reading a lot on the subject, and believes the history of the Contras is more complex than most liberals believe. "The farmers lost their land to the Sandinistas, and so they joined the Contras."

Although it's not Fair Trade-certified, Kilroy and Myers sell the beans for $10/lb at www.contracafe.com and pay the farmers $1.50/lb - 50c more than commodity markets. The firm made no profits in 2005 - unsurprising in a market as tough as coffee. The pair also donated $250 to the Freedom Alliance, a foundation established by US Lt. Col. Oliver

North (left), who gained infamy for selling arms to Iran and diverting the profits to the Contras. North personally thanked the conservative coffee marketers for their "truly incredible" support. Kilroy dismisses North's arms sales to the Iranians, and adds: "The Freedom Alliance supports families of US servicemen killed in Iraq."

Just don't ask if they do decaf. "No. Freedom Fighters love caffeine."

Panama's ex-CIA training school

Cocaine galore

Chavez takes Bolivar's name in vain