WHAT IS FAIR TRADE COFFEE?
The Fair trade badge can be found in many products when we go to a super market or a specialized store, ranging from clothing all the way to coffee, but what is it really? And does it make a difference to purchase merchandise which has the Fair Trade certification? Even if it means that you have to pay a little bit more?
Read on Coffee lover, in this article we will explain this in depth.
This Article contents:
How it all started
It all started in the United States with Edna Ruth Byler, the founder of Ten Thousand Villages, a non-profit trade organization. Edna was moved to take action by the poverty she witnessed after a trip to Puerto Rico in 1946. She started selling handcrafted products from the trunk of her car seeking to provide sustainable economic opportunities for artisans in developing countries. After 70 years they are still in operations with 100 stores in the US and Canada and are one of the founding members of the International Fair Trade Association (IFT).
Fairtrade is a global movement that seeks to give better conditions to farmers/producers in developing nations, mainly located in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
This organization works directly with businesses, consumers, and campaigners to secure better deals and pay higher prices in order to help farmers, workers, and their families.
Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing nations. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.
With this video, you can better understand how fairtrade works in a real situation:
FairTrade coffee
FairTrade coffee was born in the Netherlands in 1988 after a “coffee crisis” in which the supply was higher than the demand, thus creating a lot of economic issues, especially for coffee farmers.
Certified FairTrade coffee producers have the guarantee that they will be paid the FairTrade minimum price, which aims to cover their production costs and help them when market prices fall below a sustainable amount. Through the organization, coffee farmers receive a premium to invest in their business and their communities, thus giving them a chance for a better lifestyle.
Why Choose FairTrade coffee?
Here in this video made by the IFT you can get more in depth information:
Conclusion
Coffee is consumed all over the globe, it is one of the most popular beverages and the second most traded commodity in the world. So it is logical that we should be concerned about the living conditions of the people behind this great beverage that makes the world go round.
Approximately 125 million people around the world depend on coffee for their livelihoods, from farmers to baristas. Choosing certified Fair Trade Coffee or Coffee that we know its actual origins and how it is being produced is beneficial for a lot of people. In a way, choosing to purchase FairTrade products help to make this world a better place.