Fairtrade Coffee: Sustainable from Bean to Brew
Table of Contents
Why does choosing Fairtrade coffee make a difference?
What are the issues with Fairtrade coffee?
Top Four Fairtrade Coffee Brands in 2023
5 Stores you can shop Fairtrade coffee online
Fairtrade coffee purchases help growers improve the standard of living for their communities and families. Stay with us to know more.
The number of cups of coffee consumed daily by Americans is staggering—400 million. We enjoy many types of coffee, including espresso, cold brew, and on-the-go. It's tough to picture life without the familiar and beloved beverage of coffee. You may buy it from a supermarket nearby or an online store if you do not want to use any coffee alternatives or have any allergies.
The production of coffee beans is one of the planet's primary uses of forced labor since it is such a significant commodity, particularly in the West. According to the International Labor Organization, more than 150 million children are employed as slaves to produce many goods we buy daily, including coffee and chocolate.
And those who are forced to work have little or no rights. They are compelled to work long hours for little or no compensation and are exploited for their labor. These laborers are frequently exposed to harmful chemical pesticides and fertilizers, which can result in lasting health problems.
It's simple to overlook that there are farmers whose livelihoods depend on the cup of coffee in your hand in a culture that values speed, simplicity, and low cost. The future of coffee cultivation as a way of life is becoming increasingly dubious, though, as the worldwide epidemic adds further difficulties to the growers' pre-existing problems with poverty and climate change. But it has to go somewhere else.
Only the Fairtrade system, which is the dominant one, ensures a minimum price to support coffee farmers through difficult times. Producers that adhere to fairtrade norms also get an extra dollar per pound in Community Development Funds, which they may use to boost quality and production and care for local needs. These Fair Trade CertifiedTM coffees have brought growers nearly $740 million in revenue since their introduction in 1998. The seal ensures that every cup counts toward a brighter future for the farmers who farmed those beans, despite the impression that just one cup is inconsequential.
We vote for the moral treatment of the workers who produce our daily coffee when we purchase Fairtrade products. By utilizing fair trade and direct trade techniques with the farmers who grow their products, these fair-trade coffee firms have made it an intrinsic part of their purpose to create long-lasting, mutually beneficial connections. Here's to sipping coffee that alters the course of history.
Regardless of your preferences, you may find your new favorite among these products online or in person. As always, keep an eye out for the Fair-Trade Certified label.
What is Fairtrade coffee?
Fairtrade certification informs you of a product's origin in a manner similar to organic certification. Products with fairtrade certification originate from all over the world but have a similar past. Farmers that cultivate fairtrade coffee are paid fairly, and their communities and the environment also gain from this practice. You may also use the coffee remains to compost at home!
Fairtrade certified coffee directly contributes to a better living for farming families in developing countries through reasonable prices, community development, and environmental care. Through direct, long-term contracts with foreign customers, fairtrade coffee farmers sell their harvests, learning how to run their companies and compete globally.
These farmers can reinvest in quality, safeguard the environment, and invest in the health and education of their families thanks to receiving a fair price for their crops. With this empowerment model, agricultural people are lifted out of poverty via trade rather than assistance, resulting in a more equitable and sustainable form of global commerce that benefits farmers, consumers, businesses, and the environment. One of the independent certifiers of fairtrade goods for the North American market, Ecocert, supports the Fair for Life fairtrade certified badge.
Why does choosing fairtrade coffee make a difference?
Family farmers harvest the foods we use every day throughout the global south by adhering to centuries-old customs. However, a lot of small-scale farmers in developing countries need to get paid fairly for their harvests. Due to their lack of access to direct markets, these remote rural villages sometimes sell their premium products for less than their actual cost of production to local intermediaries who inflate international prices.
Many people are forced to give up their property and decades of agricultural legacy due to this debt cycle, which shatters these communities' social and cultural fabric. Forced immigration, subpar goods, and industrial and agricultural practices frequently harming the environment are all consequences when farming communities in developing nations struggle.
Producers: In addition to obtaining a fair, consistent price, fair trade gives producers the freedom to invest in their businesses, enhance their communities, and safeguard the environment.
Customers: Fairtrade certification gives customers the power to "vote with their dollar" by establishing an objective seal of approval for items that were made and exchanged relatively. Although we all have hectic schedules and wish to act morally, we can't always. What if we could change the world simply by the purchases we make each day? And not have to make a special effort to achieve this? That is the decisive argument for fair trade.
The Earth: Fairtrade certification calls for and promotes ecologically friendly agricultural methods that safeguard farmers' health and maintain priceless ecosystems for future generations. It also offers the materials and technical support required for organic certification.
The Fairtrade movement draws attention to the fact that growing coffee is a dangerous business in which farmers frequently struggle to make a living. A Fairtrade certification is one approach to guarantee that every farmer is paid a Fairtrade premium that is above the base commodity price, bringing them closer to earning a sustainable life since the coffee industry is now experiencing a pricing crisis.
What are the issues with fairtrade coffee?
What if an exquisite product like coffee could be purchased with fair trade assurance of a fair price? The long-term prospects of coffee farmers are sadly often hampered by unanticipated fair trade coffee issues. Yet there is yet hope. An improved approach exists.
#1: Lower Quality
You must be familiar with the fundamentals of the coffee business to comprehend how Fairtrade operates. Based on quality, there are many categories within the coffee industry. Descending in quality from the best to the worst, Standard Grade, Exchange Grade, Premium Grade, and Specialty Grade are the several grades available. Your high-end coffees are sourced from the most popular category, Specialty Grade.
However, any type of coffee may be used to make fair trade coffee. Consequently, growers may utilize less desirable coffee as fair trade. Fairtrade is regarded as a specialization in the sector because of its "fair price" standards. A quality issue results from this.
Farmers market their lower grade coffees as fair trade because poor quality coffee can be fair trade and hence specialty without upholding the higher quality criteria necessary for other specialty grade coffees. Then they sell their better grade coffees on the open market where they can get a more fantastic price for the coffee owing to its superior quality.
The unexpected downside of fair trade coffee is that the well-intentioned buyer of fair trade beans ends up with an uneven and poor-quality product. This can't go on like this. Customers will only continue to pay for a subpar taste experience. In addition to undermining the farmer's efforts and the ideals of fair trade, this gives consumers an uneven and inadequate experience.
#2: Higher Prices
Fairtrade Coffee's reputation has been damaged due to lesser-grade coffees being included in offers. Due to the quality issue, many coffee importers and roasters are wary of Fairtrade, and as a result, they are less inclined to spend more than the Fairtrade pricing floor. Therefore, in certain instances, even if a particular crop is of more superb quality, the Fairtrade pricing of $1.40 is the most a buyer will pay since the perceived worth of Fairtrade is lower. This results in the minimum price being replaced with a pricing cap of $1.40.
#3: Not Accessible
Fairtrade is an enormous conglomeration of cooperatives in spirit. Mainly in Central and South America, most Fairtrade coffee is produced in nations that have already seen some level of development. Because their tiny landowners cannot pay the certification costs for Fairtrade, the less developed coffee-growing countries, such as those in Southeast Asia and Africa, are excluded from the market.
Land ownership is also a crucial prerequisite for involvement in the Fairtrade cooperatives. Many farmers in the world's most impoverished regions work for more extensive plantations and don't own any land. Fairtrade's initiatives do not thus benefit these farmers. The poorest of the underprivileged are unfortunately not helped by fair trade.
#4: More Bureaucracy for Farmers
Good record-keeping at the farm level is required by Fairtrade International. Data gathering aids in the improvement of business choices for both farmers and Fairtrade International. However, when data is collected, farmers' actual problems are ignored.
First, it is difficult to maintain accurate records due to the widespread illiteracy among coffee producers in underdeveloped nations. It might be difficult for literate farmers to keep records while farming their crops. Many coffee growers work long hours during harvest season and simply need more time to maintain records due to low earnings and the labor-intensive nature of coffee farming. The main goal of farmers is to simply support their families. Inadvertently rewards the cultivation of inferior beans.
#5: Unintentionally promotes the growth of subpar beans
The modest sum of money that goes back to farmers is another criticism of the Fairtrade cooperative concept. According to Ndongo Samba Sylla, author of The Fairtrade Scandal: Marketing Poverty to Benefit the Rich, only around $.03 of each pound is returned to the individual farmers.7 Instead of funding schools or organic farming, the $.20 premium for infrastructure initiatives is frequently used to upgrade co-ops' offices.
Top Four Fairtrade Coffee Brands in 2023
The Fairtrade program is expensive, as is the case with other certifications, and not every small farmer, coffee producer, or producer group has the funds to take part in the certification procedure to obtain a fairtrade label. Stay with us to introduce you to 10 top fairtrade coffee brands.
1. Cafédirect
Cafédirect is known for its total dedication to quality. The team, which is celebrating more than 30 years of impact, has given back over £30 million to its farmers along the road while establishing long-lasting relationships and having face-to-face interactions.
In recognition of how it treats both people and the environment, the company has also received Fairtrade and Gold Standard certifications. The best part is that we adore the fact that Cafédirect donates 50% of its sales to Producers Direct, a UK charity that collaborates with farmers to enhance sustainability and living standards.
2. Equal Exchange
For almost 30 years, Equal Exchange has produced outstanding coffee. At that time, the team posed the following question: What if food could be traded in a way that is truthful and equitable, in a way that empowers both farmers and consumers?
Starting a worker-owned company was the solution. At present, the co-op has more than 130 employees/owners, each of whom has an equal ownership stake and voting privileges. Equal Exchange constantly receives high scores for its concern for people and the environment because of its distinctive emphasis on ethics.
3. Grumpy Mule
When it comes to morals, Grumpy Mule is quite unyielding. Although achieving sustainability over the short term is simpler, the Mule has chosen to base its roasting and sourcing procedures on long-term criteria. To guarantee that every brew has a mindful history, the business has obtained Fairtrade and organic certifications for its goods. These guys are coffee nerds, and their enthusiasm is evident throughout this fun brand. Don't overlook the excellent internet resources for learning about different coffee brewing techniques.
4. Higher Ground Roasters
Everybody can get the best coffees in the world, fresh, from Higher Ground Roasters. The group only roasts 100% Fairtrade and certified organic beans to make that happen. To support wind farms and reduce their daily carbon emissions, Higher Ground also buys wind power credits. Most significantly, the group supports charities like the Cahaba River Society and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The brand goes above and above in every way, from the farm to the cup.
5 Stores you can shop fairtrade coffee online
Additionally, coffee manufacturers and growers who sell their products through Fair Trade organizations as sustainable businesses must pay a minimum price that is greater than the market value of coffee. Coffee is certified as Fair Trade by several organizations, including Fairtrade America, Fairtrade International, and Fairtrade Certified. In the following, we will introduce you to 5 online stores where you can buy fair trade coffee.
In 2020, the Co-op provided funding for a project at the Multira Farmers' Co-operative Society in Kenya. This was done as part of Fairtrade Africa's larger strategy to encourage more young people to work in the coffee industry and combat the consequences of climate change. This single-origin coffee has a medium roast and a delicious acidity with subtle blackberry undertones.
Co-op Food is only available to customers who are located inside the UK.
2. M&S
Since 2006, every coffee sold under the M&S brand has been Fairtrade certified. M&S was the first store to sell entirely Fairtrade coffee in its cafés in 2004. Visit the store for a coffee while you're out and about or enjoy one at home; the selection is vast and includes everything from instant to whole bean to decaf. Try the smooth, rich Italian-style coffee for a quick choice.
3. Bird & Wild
Every bag of coffee sold under the brand name Bird & Wild benefits the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, the RSPB, and the Fairtrade farmers who grow the coffee in the shade. The coffee in this seasonal mix is medium-roasted, smooth, and has notes of dark chocolate, a well-balanced acidity, and vibrant floral fragrances. Available in whole or ground form, 100% organic Arabica coffee.
4. Leon
Are you outside? Get Leon to make you a coffee. Leon purchases its coffee from Puro, a Fairtrade coffee company that partners with the World Land Trust to purchase and save some of the planet's most imperiled ecosystems. Over 600 acres of rainforest have been preserved by Leon thanks to coffee sales.
5. Waitrose Java Coffee
The first Fairtrade Java coffee entered European grocery shelves in 2019 thanks to Waitrose. A village in the Kayumas was given help for three years by Waitrose & Partners, the Fairtrade Foundation, and the Network of Asia and Pacific Producers (NAPP) to grow high-quality coffee and adhere to the strict Fairtrade Standards, which emphasize social, economic, and environmental development. This meant that 150 coffee growers in Indonesia could now take advantage of the Fairtrade Minimum Price and Premium for the first time.
Last but not least…
Coffee is a common beverage in many people's lives since it gives you the boost of energy you need to get out of bed and face the day. Unfortunately, even while there are numerous alternatives available, not all of them are made equally.
Your best option is to purchase Fair Trade coffee brands if you want to be sure the coffee you drink to start your day is both tasty and morally sound. But what does that mean?
When a business uses the Fairtrade Certified mark (which is applied to agricultural products like coffee, chocolate, and fruit), it indicates that the goods were made under safe working conditions and at fair wages. Additionally, it guarantees that no child labor was used, and the farmers were subjected to the highest environmental standards.
Knowing that you are helping businesses that genuinely care about people and the environment when you choose Fairtrade coffee products, you can savor every drink. If you want to shop organic fair trade coffee online correctly please check out our article on sustainable shopping tips.
