Fair Trade
Under the current system of coffee trade, very little of what consumers pay for coffee, often less than 10%, reaches the farmer who grows the beans
Of the 25 million coffee producers, approximately 15 million are small farmers. Unable to export directly they must sell their crops to mid-level traders. These traders often use their monopoly position to force the farmer to sell low. As lenders, these traders demand extremely high interest payments.
There is however an alternative. Fair Trade coffee is bought directly from farming cooperatives, which eliminates the role of the mid level trader, and allows farmers to earn a fair living, by setting the selling price for their coffee
This money not only gives the farmer a wage to support their family, but it also helps by;
- Enabling their children to go to school.
- Providing healthcare for their family and their community.
- Providing clean drinking water for their community.
- Allowing access to low interest loans, to enable them to re-invest in their businesses.