Fairly Traded: But, What Does It Mean?
This is a guest post by Coffee Joe. Learn more about how you can guest post for Daily Shot Of Coffee here.
We have all heard about and bought Fair Trade coffee. Certification by international and national standards ensures the product is free from fertilizers and herbicides, and grown by the most natural process possible,and has a set price on the money markets.
However, what if the organic coffee farmer or company abides by the rules, produces a superior coffee, but can’t afford to be certified? Do they just forget about organics, and start to grow coffee the “new and improved” modern way? With chemicals, yes, it costs money, but traditional coffee sells anytime, anywhere. Hey, everyone has to live, right?
There is a growing awareness of a new concept, Fairly Traded, which may solve the problem.
A coffee farmer or small co-op can keep on growing organically, but without certification. Lots of small coffee operations are finding it takes years to gain fair trade status, but economically, they need to join the global community now.
One bonus, the price paid for organic coffee can be higher than the fair trade standard as it is not bound by the price restrictions, but it still deals directly with the growers. Extra incentives may be offered, and more donations can be funneled into the individual organic communities.
The criteria for acceptance may have to be adjusted to allow for more access to organic benefits. A movement to label these products “Fairly Traded” means the buyer is confident that the fair trade process was used to grow this organic coffee.
A sustainable industry needs to be open to change when it’s needed for the benefit of all.
About the author, Coffee Joe AKA Suzie Ambrose: I have several passions in my life. Coffee, writing and photography. When I have to work, it’s to fuel those hobbies. I live in the Cariboo in northwestern B.C. This provides ammo for my camera, my written observations and a first hand look at local organics, the old ways, and the strict stewardship of the farmlands. I take photos exactly as I see them and I write the same way. No compromises, no adjustments, just doing the research, and waiting for that moment when everything turns out to be all that I hoped for and more. Magic. Suzie writes a coffee blog for a Vancouver, B.C. coffee roaster Pistol And Burnes under the name “Coffee Joe Says”.
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Photo by rogiro.
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Mike Crimmins is the highly caffeinated blogger behind Daily Shot Of Coffee. Besides drinking way too much coffee, he's obsessed with the Yankees and getting dirty on his mountain bike.Subscribe
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The fact that Fair Trade can start to be categorized along with the liberally stamped “Organic” products does cause one to feel as if they need to do their own research to really see if that’s the case.
I understand that there is a cost for the certification process but are there not groups and businesses that help farmers/coops to get the fair trade status. I believe that there are and that would lead to a more inclusive system. I could be wrong about there being groups that help with the overall process. It has been a while since I did fair trade research. I admit that I do not drink only fair trade coffee.
the issue is to vote with your coffee buying.
if you and rest of us ONLY buy FT*OG coffees
the world will follow along.
while i can understand certification costs leading to
a verified organic grown seal OG and the ongoing work to
prove it still is OG, i have a problem with excess
costs related to fair trade status being pushed
to the growers. the buyer and wholesalers should
bear those. i thought fair trade related to the grower
being paid a ‘fairer’ price… the way i’d handle this
is the make the coffee companies PROVE they paid
fair prices to their sources.
Sorry, but I find this article really confusing and inaccurate if I’m reading it correctly.
Fair Trade and Organic are not mutually exclusive. They are two separate certifications. You can buy Fair Trade coffee that isn’t organic, as well as organic coffee that isn’t fair trade.
Fair Trade certification has everything to do with distribution, fair prices, labor and human rights and nothing to do with whether pesticides are used or not.
Organic certification manages the method in which coffee is grown. While the two movements are growing closer and advocate the importance of each other, only about a third of Fair Trade products are also certified organic.
Many coffees that can’t afford organic certification aren’t necessarily using the “new and improved modern way” of farming either. For a lot of small farms, it’s too expensive to use chemicals and new technology, so they continue to grow coffee the way they always have, before the industrialized techniques were even an option.
If you’re truly concerned, you should buy your coffee beans from a roaster who has a relationship with the farms they buy from and first hand experience of the conditions and methods they use. Certifications don’t always mean a better deal for the farmer. There are a lot of people in the middle who take a cut of the money.
.-= BWJ´s last blog ..Coffee Economy Perks Up =-.
The fact that Fair Trade can start to be categorized along with the liberally stamped “Organic” products does cause one to feel as if they need to do their own research to really see if that’s the case.
It’s my understanding that “fair trade” and “organic” are two separate things, and I always look for both on a label. All this coffee talk has me craving a cup, especially since I’ll have Sally Lunn buns coming out of the oven in a few minutes to be slathered with homemade organic strawberry jam!