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.

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?