What is Fairtrade Coffee?

Although world consumption is growing, and the value of the coffee trade makes it the world’s second most valuable commodity after oil, many of the world’s 25 million coffee growers face immense hardship.

Trade, unfortunately, isn't fair. Many coffee growers receive only a fraction of the value of their coffee.

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in coffee growing countries. Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade in the coffee world which traditionally have discriminated against the poorest, weakest farmers.

Fairtrade coffees are produced by coffee farmers who belong to democratically run cooperatives. Fair Trade contracts are set up directly between the coffee growing cooperatives and the international buyers. This is cutting out all the middle men so the direct profit goes back to the cooperative. Facilitators of Fairtrade help the farmers to decide how to best spend their profits and make sure the money is put back into the communities to build schools for the children and generally raise the standard of living.

Fairtrade enables the poorest of farmers to take control of their lives. Fairtrade contracts are set up while the beans are still growing so the cooperatives have a guaranteed buyer and a set price at the end of their harvest. This helps the farmers to plan a future and develop independence.

At Bay Espresso we think that's fair enough. Look at Ethiopia for example. They are the largest green bean coffee supplier in the world, yet still one of the poorest third world countries. These farmers have been exploited by huge multi national corporations who control the world coffee price.

We know we're small and we only have a small voice but whatever influence we can have over a market big or small we try and offer you the fairest coffee we can source. So you know the coffee you drink tastes good and feels a whole lot better!