Poll: Do You Look For Fair Trade When You Buy Coffee?
This week’s poll is “Do You Look For Fair Trade When You Buy Coffee?”
Do You Look For Fair Trade When You Buy Coffee?
- Yes (63%, 24 Votes)
- No (37%, 14 Votes)
Total Voters: 38
Loading ...Right now, I’m reading Brewing Justice: Fair Trade Coffee, Sustainability, and Survival by Daniel Jaffee. It’s a systematic look at fair trade coffee and has me wanting to buy nothing but fair trade products right now. I’ve always kept an eye out for the fair trade label, but now I’ve taken it up a notch. Fair trade may not be the perfect solution, but it’s at least a step in the right direction and I have no problem paying a little more if that means that the people on the other side of my coffee get a little more.
What’s your opinion? Are you a fair trade fan? Or does the label not factor in when you’re making your buying decision?
Last week’s question was “Do You Use A Coffee Grinder?”
The overwhelming answer with 69% of the vote was “Of course.”
gservo said:
a coffee grinder is one of the best coffee decision ive ever made
Darrell said:
Yes, been grinding fresh for years now. Started with a little whirly/blade grinder but have used a burr gr. for awhile now(5-6 yrs?).
Unless you buy fresh roasted pre-ground coffee from a local roaster or quality roaster off the internet, I am not sure it is possible to truly enjoy coffee. The next logical step from that is to buy from the same source, but in whole bean. Each step toward freshly roasted whole bean coffee ground at home is a step closer to greater coffee enjoyment.
The best chance anyone has at truly enjoying coffee to the greatest extent possible is to buy fresh roasted (or home roasted) whole bean coffee and to grind it immediately before brewing. I wish everyone would try it and taste the difference.
Only 20% of the vote was for “No way.”
If you answered no, check out the comments in that post for some great buying advice.
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Photo by keishkakeishka
Category: Polls
About the Author (Author Profile)
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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When I was better off financially, I shopped fair trade and organic whenever possible. I was one of the seriously conscious consumers of the times. I boycotted products and vendors out of principal. I was activist in my shopping habits.
Now I live on a meager fixed income. I try to buy fair trade when I can but often it is more expensive than I can afford and quite frankly I have spent more than 30 years doing without because of political issues and sometimes I want something that is not fair trade such as a cup of coffee, a glass of iced tea or even a bite of chocolate.
I still use my dollars wisely, boycott often and am activist in my spending but I refuse to feel guilty that I do not buy only fair trade even though there are some who would have me feel so. I do the best I can with what I have and where I am in my life. I would hope that we all do.
I will close now. This is a soapbox issue for me!
Ciao,
Ardee-ann
I do like to buy Fair Trade coffees as much as I can
Can’t wait to try the new Starbucks flavored coffees … are they Fairtrade Mike? 
Which one you like best so far?
The Starbucks Flavored coffees aren’t fair trade, but I’m noticing a lot of the local Starbucks are carrying more Fair Trade. The Vanilla was the best one of the flavored.
No, I prefer to buy Direct Trade coffee which is usually more equitable for the farmer.
More direct input by the buyer/roaster and often a higher price paid than the specified Fairtrade price too
It is important for me to purchase sustainable coffees. Fair Trade is one way to do that. I don’t think that I should sip on a cup of coffee and save a few pennies, while the person that grew my coffee lives in a shack and can barely feed their children. I think we can all do our part to help the situation. There are other programs that do great work, but Fair Trade is easy for consumers to identify and the entire supply chain from bean to cup is traceable. Some certifications, like Rain Forest Alliance, only have to be certified every few years. RFA also allows their label on products with only a percentage of certified ingredients. Fair Trade is %100 Fair Trade or the label cannot be used.
I aim to start a coffee roasting business in the not too distant future. When I do, I will certainly support sustainable practices, both environmental as well as social. I would love to have direct relationships with those supplying my beans. I love helping others, especially those who have less than me. If I can build a business that provides for my family AND allows me to make a positive impact to even one producing family, I would be estatic!
There are a lot of companies that do an excellent job, but there are far too many that ‘green wash’ their practices and misrepresent their involvement. This is why being Fair Trade certified lends credibility to roasters and guarantees a level of compliance. A company can say they are “Direct Trade” or that they “Use fair trade practices”, but if they are not certified, there is no way to be certain. Transparency is the key, and certification really helps in that regard. So I’m not %100 saying that you must buy Fair Trade, but I do believe you must contribute to sustainability. It’s the least we can do.