The basics of fair trade coffee.

Whether you like your coffee black or with cream and sugar, you should feel good about how your beans are sourced. With fair trade coffee, you can enjoy the rich flavor and know that you’re providing fair compensation to the farmers and producers that grew your coffee.

Read on to learn what fair trade coffee is, why it’s so important, and how your morning cup of coffee is making a positive impact.

What is fair trade coffee?

Fair trade coffee is coffee that has been produced and certified by a fair trade organization. The coffee must be grown and produced meeting fair trade standards. 

According to the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO),

The partnerships contribute to sustainable development for coffee bean farmers by offering better trading conditions. Fair trade organizations support sustainable environmental farming practices and prohibit child or forced labor.

Why is fair trade coffee so important?

The push for fair trade coffee brings attention to the risks that come with coffee farming. Many farmers struggle to make money with the coffee market’s price crisis. Fair trade certifications are one way to provide a fair trade premium payment for every farmer that is above the base commodity price. This assurance will hopefully bring the farmers closer to earning a sustainable income.

Farmers are given the tools to grow their own business and establish a trade. This empowerment lifts farmers above the poverty line and creates more equitable and sustainable models for international trade. By ensuring a fair price to farmers, the certification decreases the chance of cost cutting practices that can have bad (or catastrophic) impacts on the local environment.

What’s the difference between fair trade and direct trade coffee?

While both fair trade and direct trade have the same goal of paying the coffee producers a fair price for the product, the fair trade label is a third-party certification and direct trade is more of an agreement between suppliers and producers. 

Direct trade is a catch-all term for a sourcing process that allows coffee roasters to deal directly with coffee farmers. It’s not regulated by a governing body and doesn’t have any specific standards other than what each individual coffee roaster sets.

The movement toward fair trade is a complex combination of certification standards, trading practices, social philosophies, and marketing tactics. The overall goal is to promote greater equity in the international trade of coffee with an emphasis on sustainability both financially for the farmers and environmentally.

Should you buy fair trade?

Like with most certifications, the fair trade program costs money. Because of this cost, not every farmer or producer can afford to participate in the certification process and receive a fair trade label. 

For some farmers and producers, they may find it more lucrative to build direct trade relationships with roasters or—more commonly—establish a long-term relationship with coffee importers and exporters.

Although these relationships can be beneficial, coffee drinkers who do favor fair trade certified coffee help provide a minimum amount of compensation to farmers and producers in the supply chain.

Start your morning with something that will make you feel great, support coffee farmers worldwide, and help connect you to Jesus.

Fair trade coffee is ethically-sourced and with our subscription, you can receive freshly-roasted coffee to reconnect you with the Lord and provide that caffeine pick-me-up!

Christian Kitchens designed ethically-sourced and freshly-roasted coffee subscriptions to satisfy your love for coffee. But more importantly, we’ve turned this daily routine into a convenient way for you to connect with Jesus. To learn more, please visit our site or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.