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Before I tell you what Organic Fair Trade Coffee is and why it is important, I want you to answer some of my questions from your heart. Have you ever thought what happens to the major portion of the money you spend on anything you buy? You might have. Does it reach the hands who actually toiled under scorching sun in open fields to feed you; who worked days and nights on the looms to weave that fine cloth you are wearing; who forged themselves on machines to turn out that masterpiece in metal? Perhaps not! Not in most cases. The same thing happens when you enjoy your most favourite coffee after making a handsome payment at the retail outlet. Only a negligible portion of your money reaches those poor, underfed farmers living below poverty line in developing countries of Africa, Latin America and Asia who actually gave their best to produce the best for you and who actually deserve to be paid the best. Does this fact hurt you? Do you want to help those farmers through your coffee as well as keep the environment clean? If it is, then it is high time you switch over to Organic Fair Trade Coffee. Only Organic Fair Trade can ensure that farmers/artisans/workers get what they actually deserve. So, what is Organic Fair Trade Coffee? I shall answer this question in two parts.
• Organic Coffee: First, you need to know what Organic Coffee is, and, which I am sure, most of you know. It is any coffee that is grown organically, without using any synthetic chemical fertilizer or pesticide, and processed in an organic way. Instead, organic fertilizers and pesticides are used on such coffee.
• Organic Fair Trade Coffee: Organic Fair Trade Coffee is not another variety or flavour or blend of organic coffee. Instead, it is a movement or way of selling or marketing organic coffee to ensure that a justified portion of money from the sales of organic coffee should go to the farmers who actually produce it. There are various fair trade organizations and bodies through which if purchases are made, then farmers get paid righteously. They are paid approximately $1.3 USD per pound of normal coffee. In case of Organic Coffee, this goes up to around $1.4 USD per pound. They are also paid a premium against a price rise of coffee around the world. The farmers are given an indirect share in the international business this way by bypassing the brokers. To achieve this target, the sale of Organic Fair Trade Coffee is guided by certain principles laid down by the various fair trade organizations and bodies.
• Fair Trade Governing/Promoting Bodies: Although there are many volunteering organizations who work for promoting fair trade, fair trade around the world is chiefly governed, monitored and promoted by the following bodies consisting of fair trade organizations or networks, namely;
• FINE: FINE is the most recognized Fair Trade Governing/Promoting body which is mainly operational in Europe and is formed of following organizations/networks.• World Fair Trade Organization
• Fair Trade Labelling Organizations International
• Network of European Worldshops
• European Fair Trade Association
• Fair Trade Federation: This federation represents the American and Canadian fair trading agencies/sellers/networks etc.
• Fair Trade Action Network: This network mainly connects the European and North American fair trade promoters/groups.
• Others: In addition to above, there are numerous other agencies and bodies functioning to promote fair trade around the world. Some of them are;• United Students for Fair Trade
• Canadian Students Fair Trade Network
• Ten Thousand Villages
• Mennonite Central Committee
• SERRV International
• OXFAM
• Certification: Besides governing, monitoring and promoting fair trade, these bodies also do the certification of fair trade articles. For example, while Fair Trade Labelling Organizations International issues the “FLO-Cert” seal of certification, the World Fair Trade Organization issues FTO certificate. So, all the Organic Fair Trade Coffee that is selling in market needs to be certified by any of these certifying bodies as well as by an agency that certifies Organic products.
• Market: Currently, the total value of Fair Trade products sold around the world amounts to approximately five billion US dollars, the major portion of which is contributed by coffee. Out of that, the percentage pertaining to Organic Fair Trade Coffee is rising with growing concern.
• Socio Economic Impact: The Organic Fair Trade Coffee helps giving the organic coffee farmers a better financial support so that they live a better life and their children get educated. This way, it helps them to get a better social status. Economically too, this movement helps those poor countries who actually produce coffee. There are some countries whose sole income comes from coffee. So, it is very easy to understand that when the farmers are paid better, the countries overall economic condition improves.
• Benefits: The benefits from Organic Fair Trade Coffee can be summarized as under;
• Benefits to the farmers: Farmers get the share of profit they deserve. As farmers are paid a minimum guiding price of around $1.30 to $1.40 per pound of coffee they produce, this becomes far more important for them when the coffee prices go down worldwide, as at that time too, farmers are paid almost the same. But they are paid a premium if the prices go up.
• Benefits to the nations: Economic condition of nations improves.
• Benefits to the customer: Since the coffee passes through lesser hands (brokers) to reach the customers, the customers too get it at a reasonable price.
• Health Benefits: This coffee, being organic, is better for health as compared to normal (non-organic) coffee as it does not contain toxic chemical residues from artificial fertilizers and pesticides.
• Environmental Benefits: Since no synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides and other reagents are used to grow and process this coffee, it is beneficial for the environment too.
• Drawbacks: There are no apparent drawbacks of Organic Fair Trade Coffee except its limited availability. It may not be available in all the countries. Other than this, there are no drawbacks because you need neither pay an extra for this coffee (it is not a profit making movement and you pay just as much you pay for any other organic coffee), nor the farmers or the environment has to suffer extra for that.
• Availability: There are numerous European, American and African countries that strongly support fair trade and some of them have really included fair trade in their business policies. Organic Fair Trade Coffee is easily available in these places. In rest of the places, its availability depends upon how much customers support fair trade. If it is not easily available in your place, the best place to order for Organic Fair Trade Coffee is internet. There you can choose from various roasts, blends, flavours; read about the Fair Trade statement and about the people who will be benefitted from your purchase; the certification and the price.
• Conclusion: We are well aware that it is our moral and social duty to help eradicate poverty and bring equality in the society; to ensure that people get what they deserve and to see that our actions could be some benefit to the needy. But our busy life does not always permit us to actively participate in that. So, the least we can do is to support such movements. This we can do by promoting and supporting Organic Fair Trade Coffee.
This article was contributed by Aparup Mukherjee
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