Fair Trade: Changing the World with Every Cup

by Indigo Ronlov

TransFair USA certifies that all of Café Mam's 100% organic roasts and blends are Fair Trade Certified. This certification assures our customers that the farmers who grow Café Mam beans are organized in democratically run cooperatives and receive a fair price for their harvest. This exciting partnership with TransFair USA means together we may reach out to more coffee drinkers across the country, helping them make the sustainable choice for their coffee cups.

We have been in accordance with socially responsible (fair trade) standards since our very first purchase in 1989, long before TransFair USA began certifying fair trade coffee in 1999. Royal Blue Organics has always recognized the farmers’ need to receive a fair price for their harvest in order for them to farm on their own land and to provide a higher standard of living for their families and communities.

Fair trade is a response to the problems of the conventional coffee trade. Many small coffee farmers receive prices for their harvest that are less than the cost of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt. With little or no income between harvest months, farmers are forced to sell their next crop in advance to middlemen (or coyotes), who pay far below the harvest’s value. The farmers’ situation is exacerbated by extremely volatile world market prices, creating steep drops if overproduction causes world surpluses. On average, coffee is selling on the world market at about sixty cents per pound, and sometimes as low as twenty cents per pound. With today’s historically low coffee prices, thousands of coffee farmers are going hungry and losing their farms this year. Fair trade is now more important than ever.

Fair trade is an innovative approach to empowering farmers who are typically disadvantaged in conventional trade. Through direct trade, fair prices, access to credit, and environmental stewardship, fair trade helps farming families improve their nutrition and health care, keep their children in school, and reinvest in their farms, co-ops, and communities. Fair trade guarantees the farmers receive $1.26 per pound for non-organic and $1.41 per pound for organic. Out of this per pound price, the co-ops are required under the fair trade certification to set aside five cents into a social enhancement fund. The co-op members then vote on how this money will be spent to improve their lives.

Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world, following oil. The US consumes an estimated one-fifth (2.5 billion pounds) of the global coffee production, making it the largest consumer in the world. Approximately 80% of adult Americans drink coffee on an ongoing basis. These statistics demonstrate the importance of choosing a product that provides the coffee growers with a sustainable and profitable livelihood. Fair trade promoters are convinced that securing even a fraction of the market is a victory for farming families. Royal Blue Organics is doing our part by educating people in the US about the importance of both organic farming, fair trade, and by delivering an excellent cup of coffee.

To learn more about fair trade movement and all the products now fair trade certified, check out TransFair USA.