Coffee with a Conscience: Why Buy Fair Trade Coffee

Some Interesting Facts and questions about Fair trade gourmet coffee:

1. The targeted gourmet coffee farmer who needs fair trade owns a farm less than 10 acres; his family runs and works the farm, they live in a third world country or remotely up in the mountains of a central America country like Brazil. They get about $.65 cents per pound without fair trade and make less than $10,000 annually. They desperately need fair trade to get out of their poverty.

2. Without phones, newspapers, television, telephones, cell phones, and in most cases running water and electricity - how does this farmer even know about " Fair Trade" in the first place?

3. With no savings; no banks; no loans; and no finances how does this farmer pay the fees to get certified fair trade?

4. How much advertising does Fair Trade do out side the US? Zero! If they did where and which media would they use?

5. Interesting most of the Fair Trade Coffee Companies in foreign lands are owned by Americans or large co-ops partially owned and funded by Americans.

6. Fair Trade doubles the price of coffee the farmer recieves but does nothing to ensure the laborers who work the farm receive any more money. Hence all the large farms owned by Americans but worked by locals help the Americans get much richer but do nothing for the local coffee workers.

7. Fair Trade does not do anything to ensure the coffee is any better or better quality - it only ensures that the price is higher.

8. Fair Trade is not recognized in China or Russia or Japan or any of the coffee countries.

9. Fair Trade has helped many Americans feel much better about themselves.

10. It has done very little to help the farmers who need it the most.

In summary Fair Trade makes us Americans feel good about ourselves; helps us pay higher prices for poorer coffee; helps the big and rich farmers get richer. It does nothing to help the pheasant farmer we dream it is helping. And it gives us a false marketing ploy that Fair Trade is actually a better quality coffee i=when in fact it only means its a more expensive gourmet coffee. And really it gives us a false sense of self worth and that we are helping poor farmers when we are not.It causes us to pay too much for bad coffee and to think Fair Trade has anything to do with "quality" when it doesn't. It doesn't do anything to help the labor pool who work on the coffee farms nor stop children from working on coffee farms. But it has raised up the price of coffee and our awareness. Only if it could be more truthful and helpful

There is a type of coffee, called Fair Trade coffee, that is produced a little differently than other types of coffee. By "produced differently", we do not mean that the beans used are inferior, or that the coffee produced will be different. The purpose of Fair Trade coffee is to protect coffee workers, and any coffee grower or producer in this organization agrees to make sure that the people who harvest and sort coffee products are treated fairly.

In the United States, we consume a great deal of coffee. Most people can't imagine starting their day or finishing a meal without a cup of coffee. But we never give a thought to how coffee beans are produced, harvested and shipped. We just drink it and take all of that for granted. But maybe we should think about fair treatment for coffee workers.

In many areas of the world, coffee workers are treated unfairly. Large plantations hire laborers at paltry wages and then expect them to work long, backbreaking hours in the sun. Plantations that are part of Fair Trade Coffee have agreed to respect coffee workers' rights. They agree to meet certain minimum standards for working conditions and worker compensation.

The organization behind Fair Trade Coffee tries to educate the coffee consumer so that he will be encouraged to buy products that are not being produced by exploited laborers. Fair Trade Coffee encourages consumers not to buy products they do not certify, and they will not certify a product if it comes from a producer who has unfair conditions.

The concept is that American coffee drinkers will not want to support a company that mistreats its workers, any more than the American consumer wants to buy clothing that is produced in sweatshops. Excellent products for your coffee, your cappuccino or your espresso are available from producers who treat their workers fairly.

As a matter of fact, some people have referred to exploitative plantations as "sweatshops in the fields". And even the small farmer who sells his coffee bean to big exporters is treated unfairly since he gets very little pay for the coffee, even when rates are high. This leads to poverty and destitution in the countryside.

If you believe that it is wrong to support organizations that do not treat their workers fairly, it is time for you to start paying attention to Fair Trade Coffee labels. You can find very good quality coffee that is endorsed by this organization.

You can go to the Fair Trade Coffee website, and you will find a list of producers who are part of their agreement and have been certified to be fair to their workers. Dean's Bean brand is just one example of how you can enjoy your cup of morning mocha while you make sure that the people who worked so hard to bring it to you are not being treated unfairly.

Fair Trade Coffee is an organization that protects the laborers who work hard to bring you great coffee. Fair Trade Coffee is produced a bit differently from regular beans, but still ensures that the beans are of the highest caliber.

In the United States people drink a lot of coffee, from cappuccino to espresso. Most people couldn’t face a day without their morning cup, but most people have no clue how coffee is made. Fair Trade Coffee helps bring information on this process to the many coffee drinkers in the U.S.

In the past many workers who toil to pick and plant the beans have been mistreated. Fair Trade Coffee is made on plantations that have a great record for worker’s rights. The working conditions have to be safe and the employees are paid a fair wage for their work.

Fair Trade coffee focuses on social and economic justice for coffee producers, while also bringing high quality coffee products to the U.S. Those of use who are coffee types will enjoy knowing that their cappuccino consumption is helping others. If the coffee is being produced under poor working conditions the organization will not certify the coffee beans.

Since so many workers suffer from poor conditions and inadequate pay, we should support Fair Trade Coffee by buying the coffee and still helps its workers. Fair Trade Coffee holds the highest standards to its certification process making sure we know what we are getting.

Next time you are sipping on your espresso make sure you know that your coffee didn’t come from a “sweatshop in a field.” This refers to the farmers who own plantations where their workers are mistreated. These farmers are paid poorly and mistreated.

You can find many Fair Trade Coffee suppliers that will fit the need of any coffee types! You can get order off the Fair Trade Coffee website or find some in a shop near you. You will feel good know you are doing what you can to help others!

There is a type of coffee, called Fair Trade coffee, that is produced a little differently than other types of coffee. By "produced differently", we do not mean that the beans used are inferior, or that the coffee produced will be different. The purpose of Fair Trade coffee is to protect coffee workers, and any coffee grower or producer in this organization agrees to make sure that the people who harvest and sort coffee products are treated fairly.

In the United States, we consume a great deal of coffee. Most people can't imagine starting their day or finishing a meal without a cup of coffee. But we never give a thought to how coffee beans are produced, harvested and shipped. We just drink it and take all of that for granted. But maybe we should think about fair treatment for coffee workers.

In many areas of the world, coffee workers are treated unfairly. Large plantations hire laborers at paltry wages and then expect them to work long, backbreaking hours in the sun. Plantations that are part of Fair Trade Coffee have agreed to respect coffee workers' rights. They agree to meet certain minimum standards for working conditions and worker compensation.

The organization behind Fair Trade Coffee tries to educate the coffee consumer so that he will be encouraged to buy products that are not being produced by exploited laborers. Fair Trade Coffee encourages consumers not to buy products they do not certify, and they will not certify a product if it comes from a producer who has unfair conditions.

The concept is that American coffee drinkers will not want to support a company that mistreats its workers, any more than the American consumer wants to buy clothing that is produced in sweatshops. Excellent products for your coffee, your cappuccino or your espresso are available from producers who treat their workers fairly.

As a matter of fact, some people have referred to exploitative plantations as "sweatshops in the fields". And even the small farmer who sells his coffee bean to big exporters is treated unfairly since he gets very little pay for the coffee, even when rates are high. This leads to poverty and destitution in the countryside.

If you believe that it is wrong to support organizations that do not treat their workers fairly, it is time for you to start paying attention to Fair Trade Coffee labels. You can find very good quality coffee that is endorsed by this organization.

You can go to the Fair Trade Coffee website, and you will find a list of producers who are part of their agreement and have been certified to be fair to their workers. Dean's Bean brand is just one example of how you can enjoy your cup of morning mocha while you make sure that the people who worked so hard to bring it to you are not being treated unfairly.

Fair Trade Coffee is an organization that protects the laborers who work hard to bring you great coffee. Fair Trade Coffee is produced a bit differently from regular beans, but still ensures that the beans are of the highest caliber.

In the United States people drink a lot of coffee, from cappuccino to espresso. Most people couldn’t face a day without their morning cup, but most people have no clue how coffee is made. Fair Trade Coffee helps bring information on this process to the many coffee drinkers in the U.S.

In the past many workers who toil to pick and plant the beans have been mistreated. Fair Trade Coffee is made on plantations that have a great record for worker’s rights. The working conditions have to be safe and the employees are paid a fair wage for their work.

Fair Trade coffee focuses on social and economic justice for coffee producers, while also bringing high quality coffee products to the U.S. Those of use who are coffee types will enjoy knowing that their cappuccino consumption is helping others. If the coffee is being produced under poor working conditions the organization will not certify the coffee beans.

Since so many workers suffer from poor conditions and inadequate pay, we should support Fair Trade Coffee by buying the coffee and still helps its workers. Fair Trade Coffee holds the highest standards to its certification process making sure we know what we are getting.

Next time you are sipping on your espresso make sure you know that your coffee didn’t come from a “sweatshop in a field.” This refers to the farmers who own plantations where their workers are mistreated. These farmers are paid poorly and mistreated.

You can find many Fair Trade Coffee suppliers that will fit the need of any coffee types! You can get order off the Fair Trade Coffee website or find some in a shop near you. You will feel good know you are doing what you can to help others!

The US consumes about 20% of the world's coffee production. This makes it a huge market and the demand of that market is one of the things that keeps coffee prices fairly high. One might think that part of that price gets back to the people who actually grow the coffee, but traditionally it hasn't. Only a tiny bit of the price we pay for coffee makes it back to the producers, but it's not enough to support production costs, much less a family.

The tiny, almost trivial, amount that makes it back to the workers forces them into a cycle of poverty and debt. The Fair Trade movement was developed to try to change that. Among other things, to be Fair Trade certified means that the growers will get at least $1.26 per pound for their coffee, much better than the typical 40-60 cents.

Using determination and persistance the Fair Trade movement has convinced over 100 companies, including Starbucks and Peets, to give you the opportunity to buy fair trade coffee. More and more companies are also joining this rapidly growing movement.

In addition to giving the grower a fair price, the movement is also pushing for organic farming methods, the idea being that organic farming is easier on the environment, fewer pesticides and chemicals are used, and it is also cheaper for the farmer. This makes it a win-win situation with the farmer incurring lower costs, getting more money, and not contaminating the land.

So what, exactly, is Fair Trade Certified Coffee? Basically it's the coffee sold by a company, such as Starbucks, that has entered into an agreement with a licensing company to purchase Fair Trade Certified coffee. Transfair USA is the only Fair Trade certification company in the US, but there are 17 of these companies worldwide.

Certification guarantees that the Fair Trade requirements are met. These requirements include that a minimum price is paid to the growers for the coffee, the buyer assists the grower with access to credit (to pay for harvesting,) and an incentive for growers and marketers to enter into longer term contracts. Long term contracts provide stability for the farmer, since he doesn't have to worry about where he will sell his coffee crop.

Before Fair Trade the minimum price for the coffee might be as low as 20 cents a pound. The ability to make enough money to live on, and raise a family on, means a great deal to the growers. It also gives them a greater incentive to be productive, since they know the extra work is meaningful.

In addition to the certifications for the buyers there is a similar system for the growers. The Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO) maintains a producers registry. In order to be a part of this registry the producers (farmers) must meet several criteria. They have to be poor, they cannot make use of hired labor, and they have to be democratically organized into small farmer associations. This ensures that the benefits of the Fair Trade movement go to the people who need it the most.

The Fair Trade movement is powered by a small, but growing, and very energetic group of people. Using grassroots activism, not government regulation, they are seeing encouraging and growing results among the various coffee companies. As mentioned above, over 100 companies are participating to a greater or lesser degree. There are a number of companies that are already 100% Fair Trade and more that are transitioning over from the traditional trade methods.

To learn more about Fair Trade Coffee, which companies are involved, and to see if you want to get involved, just go to your favorite search engine and type in "fair trade coffee."

You’re buying coffee. One label says this roasted mountain-fresh Colombian coffee is ideal for all coffee makers. But is it ideal for the coffee bean’s maker, the farmer? Your choice is empowering. When you choose fair trade, you get more than coffee; you get the opportunity to enrich someone’s life.

What Is Fair Trade?

Fair trade is an international alternative trading system designed to empower disadvantaged farmers, artisans, and labourers. The movement began 50 years ago when international aid organizations worked to help farmers and labourers in Africa break free from oppressive trading practices. These inequitable trading practices still exist today.

Farmers and artisans in developing countries rely on intermediaries for market information and trade. These middlemen usually pay less than market price and keep the producers trapped in a cycle of poverty. Small-scale farmers can’t afford to produce the crop. They can’t afford the overhead or their financing’s interest rates. They abandon their farms, or, in the case of some cocoa producers, they “employ” unpaid workers, often children.

Through fair trade, farmers and artisans deal directly with members of fair trade organizations, bypassing the middleman and receiving a fair and sustainable wage for their work. According to the Fair Trade Federation, the goal of a member organization is “to benefit the artisans they work with, not maximize profits. By reducing the number of middlemen and minimizing overhead costs, FTOs (fair trade organizations) return up to 40 percent of the retail price of an item to the producer.” Producers receive a fair wage for their product, children are not exploited, and long-term relationships are encouraged to provide continuity in trading. Fair trade considers the enduring well-being of the person behind the product.

Who Decides What’s Fair?

In Canada, the Fair Trade Certified logo is managed by TransFair Canada, a nonprofit organization that belongs to the international Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO). Use of the logo comes with very strict rules and terms, to which all members are bound by contract.

The Canadian Fair Trade Certified logo is applied to product-specific items only, meaning that the product, not the company, is certified as fair trade. On the other hand, the Fair Trade Federation logo identifies the company as a certified member. Two of the largest members in the US are Ten Thousand Villages and SERRV International.

The Fair Trade Federation and FLO monitor their producers and members. They ensure that the playing field of trade is level and fair. For the consumer, these logos assure that the goods are produced in environmentally responsible conditions and that the cultures and communities of the worker are respected and sustained.

Is It Working?

Yes. According to the Fair Trade Federation, sales for Ten Thousand Villages in the US and Canada between 1985 and 1998 increased by nearly $15 million, creating over 12,000 full-time jobs for artisans and farmers.

As more consumers use their purchasing power for social justice, large corporations consider the fair trade alternative. Currently, there are 117 Canadian fair trade licensees, and 44 source countries are registered with the FLO. Today’s fair trade products include crafts, coffee, tea, chocolate, soaps, cosmetics, sugar, and fruit. Coming soon are wines, nuts, oils, and more.

A consumer in Canada buys fair trade and a child in Colombia goes to school.

That’s a strong cup of coffee.

Some Interesting Facts and questions about Fair trade gourmet coffee:

1. The targeted gourmet coffee farmer who needs fair trade owns a farm less than 10 acres; his family runs and works the farm, they live in a third world country or remotely up in the mountains of a central America country like Brazil. They get about $.65 cents per pound without fair trade and make less than $10,000 annually. They desperately need fair trade to get out of their poverty.

2. Without phones, newspapers, television, telephones, cell phones, and in most cases running water and electricity - how does this farmer even know about " Fair Trade" in the first place?

3. With no savings; no banks; no loans; and no finances how does this farmer pay the fees to get certified fair trade?

4. How much advertising does Fair Trade do out side the US? Zero! If they did where and which media would they use?

5. Interesting most of the Fair Trade Coffee Companies in foreign lands are owned by Americans or large co-ops partially owned and funded by Americans.

6. Fair Trade doubles the price of coffee the farmer recieves but does nothing to ensure the laborers who work the farm receive any more money. Hence all the large farms owned by Americans but worked by locals help the Americans get much richer but do nothing for the local coffee workers.

7. Fair Trade does not do anything to ensure the coffee is any better or better quality - it only ensures that the price is higher.

8. Fair Trade is not recognized in China or Russia or Japan or any of the coffee countries.

9. Fair Trade has helped many Americans feel much better about themselves.

10. It has done very little to help the farmers who need it the most.

In summary Fair Trade makes us Americans feel good about ourselves; helps us pay higher prices for poorer coffee; helps the big and rich farmers get richer. It does nothing to help the pheasant farmer we dream it is helping. And it gives us a false marketing ploy that Fair Trade is actually a better quality coffee i=when in fact it only means its a more expensive gourmet coffee. And really it gives us a false sense of self worth and that we are helping poor farmers when we are not.It causes us to pay too much for bad coffee and to think Fair Trade has anything to do with "quality" when it doesn't. It doesn't do anything to help the labor pool who work on the coffee farms nor stop children from working on coffee farms. But it has raised up the price of coffee and our awareness. Only if it could be more truthful and helpful