What is Fair trade coffee?

Fair Trade coffee refers to the system of selling coffee that benefits coffee producers in developing countries by purchasing directly from them, without a middle man, at a guaranteed price that is higher than if a middle man was involved.

The additional revenue generated from the Fair Trade beans is then used to:

• Pay a fair wage to those involved in the growing, picking and processing of the coffee.
• Allow farmers to incorporate organic farming techniques.
• Help farmers incorporate environmental sustainability processes.
• Support Biodiversity by incorporating “Shade Grown“ farming.
• In many cases, the extra money also is used to reinvest in the local community to build schools, hospitals and community centers.

Fair Trade coffee is more expensive, but when one considers the benefits to the coffee growing communities, I believe the Fair Trade platform is an essential system that benefits not only the poor coffee growing countries, but also environmental and bird sustainability.

Image from Fair Trade USA