Who Else Wants a Great Cup of Coffee Every Morning? Use Fair Trade

AHHH…a delicious cup of coffee in the morning. It soothes your soul and gets you excited for the rest of your day.?

Maybe you adore a cup of steaming hot coffee with a dash of cream (non-dairy?) and no sugar. You like that strong, dark taste. So hot and steamy…it almost burns…but you’re here for it.

Or, like so many others, you’re a die-hard iced coffee drinker with an aversion to hot coffee — in fact, you’re repulsed by it. We’ll always catch you drinking an iced coffee no matter what…even when there’s six feet of snow on the ground.?

Whatever type of coffee drinker you are, we all share a common love — coffee, of course.

But, coffee gets 100x more satisfying with Fair Trade coffee beans.?

Yup, I said it. Coffee (which is Already. The. Best.) gets even more awesome.?

As an environmental copywriter, I recently learned about Fair Trade coffee. And that our daily cup(s) of joe can support coffee farmers, their communities, and families.?

When you choose Fair Trade coffee, you’re ensuring and standing up for basic human rights. So farmers receive fair pay for their coffee production and labor.

Coffee + supporting human rights? Say hello to your daily dose of inspiration, my coffee-loving friend.

I instantly fell in love with Fair Trade coffee. And since then, I’ve been devoted to spreading the word.?

So, What *Exactly* Is Fair Trade Coffee? And Is It *Actually* Fair?

You’re probably wondering, “Okay, so what is Fair Trade coffee though?”?

And when I first heard about Fair Trade coffee, I wondered the same thing. I contemplated whether it was truly worth the investment. Or if this company was actually making a difference in the world.

Hey — no one can blame us! It’s hard to tell which companies are “greenwashing” and which companies are seriously committed to a world-changing mission.

But after some research (‘cause that’s my jam as a copywriter), I learned Fair Trade is an organization that allows coffee farmers to become Fair Trade certified.1

The Fair Trade Coffee Certification And the Benefits?

When farmers choose to become Fair Trade certified, their lives and the livelihood of their communities and families change for the better. But we benefit too.

The Fair Trade certification requires farmers to:

• Receive training about sustainable coffee farming practices.
• Prohibit any children under age from working (cause kids should be kids, right?)
• Strictly avoid the use of GMO seeds and toxic pesticides.2

Sustainable farming? No child slave labor? No toxic-ness??

Woohoo — sign us up! You receive high-quality, ethical coffee with Fair Trade. But it’s the benefits that Fair Trade farmers receive that really stood out to me.?

Fair Trade Coffee Brands vs. Regular Coffee Brands

Fair Trade-certified farmers receive many benefits by joining the Fair Trade alliance such as:

• A set minimum rate (so they can always support themselves and their families).
• Fair pay for their labor and expertise.?
• The ability to give back to their community.
• The ability to support themselves and their families.

Workineh Heldaja, a Fair Trade member from Ethiopia says:

“Fairtrade has definitely helped our community—it has helped us improve our school and water supplies. It has also made a big difference in the price we get for our coffee with the guaranteed payment.”3??

?

And of course, this is what they deserve. But unfortunately, regular coffee brands do not pay coffee farmers fair rates.?

In fact, they pay farmers wayyy below what they deserve. Some farmers receive $7 a day — from working All. Day. Long. And others receive even less…?

*cue the horror music*?

But there’s a happy ending in this story, I promise. ??

Fair Trade Addresses the Ethical Issue in the Coffee Industry

As we can imagine, $7 bucks a day isn’t enough for the farmers to support themselves. And it doesn't leave any extra money for their communities or farms.

As a result, everyone involved experiences a number of unwanted experiences like:

• Health issues.?
• Poor living conditions.
• Poverty.
• Child labor.

And that’s just to name a few… But, here’s the happy part: When you buy a Fair Trade coffee brand, you’re ensuring that farmers are financially supported.

There are 758,000 farmers growing Fair Trade coffee beans. And 90 million dollars of the Fair Trade profits were directly invested back into their business and community3.

How Do Fair Trade Coffee Prices Compare to Normal Prices?

Okay, this is where I get really excited.?

*happy dance*

Fair Trade coffee is super accessible. For most of us, we can take a quick trip to the grocery store (or shop online) to find Fair Trade coffee.?

Just look for the Fair Trade symbol — which is usually on the front of the packaging — and bam, you got yourself a bag of gold. Eh…gold…Fair Trade coffee beans…what’s the difference?

The best part? On average, Fair Trade coffee is only $5 more than regular coffee beans.

And that extra $5 bucks is going straight into the farmer's pockets. So they can invest it right back into their businesses and communities.

“We were taught to serve, to be workers, Now with Fair Trade, we are entrepreneurs.” - Marcial Quintero, Banana Producer4

With Fair Trade Coffee, You Financially Support Farmers and Stand Up for Their Human Rights?

So…you’re back to sipping your steaming hot — or ice-cold — morning coffee. Yummy.???

But it’s different this time. Your heart is happy and your conscience is clear. Because you bought yourself a bag of Fair Trade coffee beans.

You made the simple choice of buying Fair Trade and now you feel on top of the world. Caffeine + standing up for human rights = the best feeling ever.?

And that’s the difference between Fair Trade coffee vs. regular coffee. With Fair Trade coffee, you’re financially supporting the farmers who grow our coffee beans. So they can live better lives and experience:

• Financial security.
• Safe living conditioning.
• Happiness.?
• Optimal communities.

In a nutshell, Fair Trade is an organization that stands up for their farmers' human rights by providing the Fair Trade certification.?

Plus, they require their farmers to grow coffee in a natural and sustainable way without toxic chemicals.?

So, cheers, coffee friends! Enjoy your cup of liquid gold. ?

P.S. If you have a sustainable business and want to spread the word with blog posts like these, hop on a quick 15-minute call with me. You’ll have blog posts of your own in no time.

Resources:

1. https://www.fairtradeamerica.org/get-certified/the-certification-process/certification/
2. https://www.fairtradeamerica.org/the-standards/
3. https://www.fairtradeamerica.org/shop-fairtrade/fairtrade-products/coffee/
4. https://www.fairtradeamerica.org/why-fairtrade/the-fairtrade-difference/for-shoppers/what-is-fair-trade/