Why You Need To Support Fair Trade Coffee More Than Ever

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The consumption of coffee is rising in the US as it is gaining popularity. We consume a lot of coffee. Some of us cannot even make it through a day without a few cups of coffee. In fact Americans are responsible for one fifth of the world's coffee consumption. So we are the main economic supporter of the coffee industry.

Most Americans would have little idea how the coffee we drink is produced, harvested and shipped to us. We are just thankful that coffee is readily available over the counter whenever we want it.

The Fair Trade coffee movement aims to change all that. As better informed consumers, we are now told of the exploits of some coffee importers. We now realized that many of these coffee workers or farmers who toil tirelessly in the fields are not getting a fair price for their produce.

These farmers are often are getting paid less for their coffee than it cost them to produce and maintain their coffee farms. This will mean that these farmers and their families will never be able to break out of poverty and debt. The Fair Trade coffee movement will make certain that most coffee farmers can get a decent price for their harvest and make a living off it.

Coffee prices can be volatile and when the prices fell very low, many farmers will not be able to support their families and farm lands. Thus the Fair Trade coffee movement is needed more than ever by these farmers. When coffee prices fall, it does not mean that the average consumer will ever enjoy cheaper coffee. Instead, the prices remain just as high. This means that coffee companies are making more profits. However it will mean poverty and hunger for many of these coffee farmers.

The Fair Trade Certified coffee is being introduced in the US to ensure that the coffee was produced under fair labor conditions and a reasonable price was paid for the coffee. This money paid will go into helping the health care, education, ecological stewardship, and financial independence. It will also provide the much needed financing and credit, technological assistance in shifting to better methods of farming and other research purposes.

Help to make all these possible by buying coffee only from Fair Trade Certified coffee companies. This can not only help ensure the quality of coffee and constant supply but also let you sleep better when you know no one is starving so that you can have your cup of coffee.

For more information on coffee, coffee grinders and Fair Trade coffee , please visit Coffee Drinking Tips and Reviews

Fair Trade coffee Coffee Drinking Tips and Reviews

Why You Should Buy Fair Trade Coffee

And many of us think nothing of spending four or five dollars at Starbucks for a gourmet espresso, latte or cappuccino. Here in the West we are massive consumers of coffee.

Most of these farmers are paid less for the coffee beans they grow that it costs for them to produce and pick them. What few of us think about as we sip our favorite brew is that coffee is grown by small farmers in developing countries.

In other words, for every gourmet coffee you and I enjoy, the grower of the beans used is descending into a deeper and deeper cycle of poverty and desperation.

It was in recognition of this cycle that the certification process for fair trade coffee was introduced in 1998.

When you buy a pound of fair trade coffee, $1.26 goes directly back to the coffee growers who grew it.

It doesn't go directly into the hands of an individual grower, but to the cooperative to which he or she belongs. Part of the deal with fair trade coffee is that farmers are required to band together in cooperatives. The money then goes to the cooperative and is shared among all the farmers.

The issue of farmers having to join a cooperative to benefit from fair trade is a complex one, with advantages and disadvantages.

However, the big benefit is that when $1.26 goes to the cooperative, and then to the farmer...they are receiving about the double what they would get outside of the fair trade coffee system.

In other words, when you or I buy fair trade coffee, we are providing the grower with twice the income he or she would normally receive.

Over 100 million pounds of fair trade coffee have now been sold in the U.S. alone. Better still, the numbers are growing fast.

Starbucks now offers fair trade coffees and recently Wal-Mart announced that it would start offering fair trade coffee through its Sam's Club outlets.

When Wal-Mart becomes a buyer, you can be sure that the impact on small coffee farmers in Central and South America, East Africa and the Far East will be substantial.

But when you pay that little extra, you'll be making a real difference to the lives of coffee farmers and their families and communities. Yes, it will cost you a little more to buy fair trade coffee.

why the coffee market itself is a very competitive sector

Since coffee is by far the most popular drinks of our times, without any known rival so far, it goes without saying that the coffee market itself is a very competitive sector. With the huge number of coffee brands, companies have to come up not with just good prices, but with quality guarantees to prove that their coffee is well-flavored and tasty. Statistics show that there is only one commerce domain more active than coffee market and it is that of oil; consequently one can hardly imagine the extent of the transactions and the number of figures for the profits that result from the coffee market.

From time to time, crisis periods appear on the coffee market, related to poor bean quality, the creation of stocks or oversupplies, not to mention the very low coffee prices. All these elements threaten to affect the lives of those who depend on coffee cultivation for a living, the coffee farmers or producers. Furthermore, pollution has a heavy word to say in the evolution of the coffee-growing areas where entire ecosystems could be endangered; while the coffee consumer is actually unaware of the strive that is going on behind the morning coffee he or she prepares.

In global economy, the coffee market is among the fewest domains where small producers dominate trade commodities; statistics show that more than 75% of the world's coffee production comes from little farms that are entirely independent in terms of harvesting and supplying. Every time, coffee prices drop, there are farmers who come to abandon their coffee fields, moving to different sectors of activity. Such changes on the coffee market leads to instability within many communities as well as to shifts in the evolution of national economies since a part of the investments in the sector are lost.

Though the demand on the coffee market usually remains stable, there are times when fluctuations occur here as well. However, even during the times when the coffee prices drop, there is no relevant price reduction for the coffee products on the market due to the same little fluctuation in the demand. If people need just as much coffee as before, why would anyone try to make it cheaper: businesses profit from this constancy in the field and have profit changes unaffected by such fluctuations. Such transactions profitable only for some parts of the trading process are not suspected by the small farmers who have no idea about the coffee price in London or Sydney.

coffee facts fair trade coffee

In the case of Fair Trade coffee, it is the coffee farmers who get a boost from the agreement. The Fair Trade agreement, whether it is for a crafted item or for a harvest. This monitor makes sure the Fair Trade agreement is adhered to, supporting the small farmers growing coffee around the world. Fair Trade coffee is the first commodity to be set up with an independent monitor. This is very important, as coffee production is very labor intensive work for all concerned. The system ensures that the coffee was produced under fair labor conditions for the workers. Fair Trade certified coffee is the first product to use this independent monitoring system. Fair Trade payments are invested in education, health care, economic independence and environmental care. The farmers receive a living wage (they are guaranteed a minimum of $1.26/pound no matter what the market is paying); credit at a fair price; and long lasting relationships with the buyers. The Fair Trade coffee farmers are grouped into cooperatives around the world. As more consumers learn of this trend, they are jumping on the bandwagon to purchase more Fair Trade products. Are the workers treated well and paid sufficiently for their time? Is the product good for the earth? More and more people around the world are caring about how their products are produced. Why is Fair Trade Certified Coffee so important? Over 100 companies have signed on to offer Fair Trade coffee. You may recognize some of their names: Starbucks, Peet’s, Equal Exchange, Tully’s, Green Mountain and Diedrich are but a few. These companies represent over 7,000 retail shops around the world. The environment needs the support. Small farmers like the ones represented in the Fair Trade coffee farmers’ cooperatives take the best care of the land. Supporting Fair Trade means you are supporting the environment with your purchasing power. Fair Trade coffee farmers are too poor to clear cut the land or buy chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Their coffee is grown in small plots of mixed crops, and is grown organically. Buying Fair Trade coffee will help farmers and their families all around the world to break out of this cycle and live a better life. The grower then is kept in a cycle of poverty and debt, as the grower is often paid less than it costs him and his family to grow and harvest the coffee. The grower gets only a very small piece of the pie, while the consumer pays a high price at the stores. It rises and falls dramatically on a daily basis. The truth is the price of coffee beans is volatile. You’d think with the popularity of gourmet coffee, they’d be doing just fine. Why can’t the farmers do this by themselves?

The Fair Trade movement is to ensure that small farmers and craftsmen get a fair price for their work… whether it is for coffee, chocolate, or any other number of You may have seen this label on other foods or hand made items at your local store. The Fair Trade agreement, whether it is for coffee, chocolate, or any other number of items, creates a fair partnership between consumers and the producers of item in question. You may have seen this label on other foods or hand made items at your local store. The Fair Trade agreement, whether it is for coffee, chocolate, or any other number of items, creates a fair partnership between consumers and the producers of item in question. You may have seen this label on other foods or hand made items at your local store. The Fair Trade agreement, whether it is for coffee, chocolate, or any other number of items, creates a fair partnership between consumers and the producers of item in question. This monitor makes sure the Fair Trade agreement is adhered to, supporting the small farmers growing coffee around the world. Fair Trade coffee is the first commodity to be set up with an independent monitor.This is very important, as coffee production is very labor intensive work for all concerned. The system ensures that the coffee was produced under fair labor conditions for the workers. Fair Trade certified coffee is the first product to use this independent monitoring system. Fair Trade payments are invested in education, health care, economic independence and environmental care. The farmers receive a living wage (they are guaranteed a minimum of $1.26/pound no matter what the market is paying); credit at a fair price; and long lasting relationships with the buyers. The Fair Trade coffee farmers are grouped into cooperatives around the world.As more consumers learn of this trend, they are jumping on the bandwagon to purchase more Fair Trade products. Are the workers treated well and paid sufficiently for their time? Is the product good for the earth? More and more people around the world are caring about how their products are produced. Why is Fair Trade Certified Coffee so important?Buying Fair Trade coffee will help farmers and their families all around the world to break out of this cycle and live a better life. The grower then is kept in a cycle of poverty and debt, as the grower is often paid less than it costs him and his family to grow and harvest the coffee. The grower gets only a very small piece of the pie, while the consumer pays a high price at the stores. It rises and falls dramatically on a daily basis. The truth is the price of coffee beans is volatile. You’d think with the popularity of gourmet coffee, they’d be doing just fine. Why can’t the farmers do this by themselves?