AN EXCERT FROM:
Ideas and Issues for green, organic, and fair trade products and making the World Better.
Fair Coffee Showdown: Direct Trade vs. Fair Trade Coffee
“…both focus on high quality, and trade fair coffee of some sort…”
On my shelf I have a can of Kicking Horse Coffee sitting next to a bag of Level Ground Trading Coffee. Despite my IQ handicap at this hour of the day, I recall both are great coffees, but one is fair trade certified, while the other is direct trade coffee. So what’s the difference? They both are much better choices compared to free market coffee beans, but there are distinguishing factors between the two labels.
Fair Trade Organic Coffee
This certification is probably the best known in the fair coffee trade. Fair Trade emerged in the late 1980′s and represented a third party certification body which aimed to provide a more equitable price to producers of coffee the world over. Today, each country has it’s own Fair Trade certification body, all with similar certification standards and tied to the Fair Trade Labeling Organization (FLO) International.
By purchasing a product with these labels, consumers receive a guarantee that the product has met the third party certification requirements. Some of these include: a minimum set price to producers; coffee produced in farmer co-operatives; producers hold a balance between environmental protection & business results; a premium is collected which is re-invested in the community; all producers work in fair and just working conditions.
Direct Trade Coffee
Direct Trade coffee has emerged more recently as an alternative to fair trade coffee. This system focuses on creating direct relationships with individual farmers. The advantages to this are higher prices paid to producers than global Fair Trade prices (since costs of having a third party certifier are removed), and higher control over coffee quality (since coffee importers & roasters are able to choose specific farmers and crops of coffee (rather than accepting a blend from a fair trade co-operative). They also see for themselves the actual working conditions and the growing environment of each farm.
A truly whole coffee bean
This is certainly a high level overview of ethical coffee – there is a wealth of information available by searching for “fair trade coffee” or “direct trade coffee” for those interested in delving deeper.
This is certainly a high level overview of ethical coffee – there is a wealth of information available by searching for “fair trade coffee” or “direct trade coffee” for those interested in delving deeper.
Truth be told…Both focus on high quality, and trade fair coffee of some sort; they are both market leaders and innovators when it comes to providing an ethical bean. The whole point is leave the Folger’s on the shelf at the grocery store, and in doing so put more money in the coffee farmers’ pockets.
*** Our coffee is purchased through a small, “one man” importing company in California. Steve is a green coffee import expert, roaster and licensed Q-grader. He travels to the farms, “cups” the coffee, gets to know the farmers and directly purchases the beans from them. He buys what he considers the best quality of beans.
You are able to enjoy the end result, fresh roasted, quality beans from small farms around the world.
 |
| Steve and a friend on his visit to Indonesia |
