Put Fair Trade Coffee in Your Cup

When you shuffle into the kitchen for your morning coffee, you’re barely awake, never mind socially conscious. But when you become aware that about 70 percent of the world’s coffee is grown on small family farms (often in developing countries), it’s natural to be concerned about the integrity of your brew. With fair trade products, you can rest assured that farmers are given a fair price for their crops.

Upgrading Trade

In the United States, TransFair USA, an independent, third-party certification organization, regulates fair trade standards. The fair trade logo indicates that farmers anywhere in the world are paid a living wage for their crops, the workers are treated with dignity, and small landholders are part of a co-op or other democratic organization. Fair trade removes middlemen from the business, dramatically reducing the cost to the growers. This kind of direct trade also allows farmers to have a stronger role in the international market.

Thriving Communities

When small-scale farmers are paid a living wage, they can afford to feed their families, send their children to school instead of to the fields, and obtain basic healthcare. Many farmer co-ops use their income to establish community health clinics or help growers transition to certified organic farming.

“When you drink our coffee, don’t just think about the money we’re making, but about the species we’re protecting,” says one member of an Indonesian co-op. “The fair trade price is not just about money, it’s about protecting the ecosystem and our community.” Almost all fair trade growers use organic practices, though many of their products are not certified organic. Fair trade certification ensures that farmers use sustainable farming methods, including composting, terracing, and reforestation. Also fair trade-certified growers use nonchemical alternatives to pesticides. More than 80 percent of fair trade-certified coffee is shade grown. “Shade grown” refers to crops, usually coffee and cacao, cultivated in their natural habitats under the canopy of tall trees, allowing for less fertilizer use and more biodiversity.

Conscious Consumerism

You can help improve the quality of life for people in developing nations by supporting the fair trade movement. Fair trade items cost an average of 10 percent more than conventional products of similar quality, but this price means double or triple the profit for the farmers compared to conventional trade. Check out fair trade organizations on the Web or join one of the many campaigns around the world at your school, at your place of worship, or in your community. Most importantly, look for fair trade-certified products including coffee, tea, chocolate, fruit, rice, sugar, herbs, and spices.