What is Fair Trade Coffee and Why does it matter?

What is fair trade? According to the website www.fairtradecertified.org, Fair Trade is defined as “a global movement of a diverse network of producers, companies, consumers, advocates, and organizations putting people and planet first.”

You can find about a dozen or more certifying organizations in the US and Internationally that are ensuring products on the market are being farmed ethically and that the people growing and farming the goods are being compensated fairly for their products and work.

This includes goods being produced that are

• ecological conscious practices (deforestation is a huge side effect of the global coffee market)
• farmer owned and fairly traded businesses
• labor standards, included not allowing child laborers

Why does it matter that my coffee is fair trade? Coffee is a high demand crop, with 64% of American’s consuming coffee everyday.

It takes about 70-80 beans (also referred to as cherries) to make one cup of coffee.

About 70 countries worldwide produce coffee with the bulk coming from Brazil, Indonesia and Ethiopia.

Most coffee is produced by small farmers who may not have the resources to sell their coffees at fair prices.

Coffee production accounts for a HUGE amount of total export earnings in some countries, so when global coffee prices fall, those countries entire economy feels the loss.

Fair trade certifying organizations ensure that growers are getting what their work and crop are worth in the global market.

How do I know if my coffee is fair trade? As stated above, there are dozens of certifying organizations for fair trade but all products that are certified fair trade will have a logo and a “fair trade” stamp somewhere on the packaging.

Is Fair Trade Coffee more expensive? At the consumer level fair trade and organic coffee tends to be a few dollars more expensive per pound, for me personally, the pennies on the cup is worth it to ensure that the product I’m drinking is ethically sourced and the growers are compensated fairly.

Am I perfect? No. We are all just doing our best. I started this blog about coffee to expand my knowledge about coffee and I will strive to continue to do my best to purchase ethically sourced, fairly traded products for my home and family.

Sources – https://www.fairtradecertified.org/why-fair-trade