Fair Trade Products

We actively promote Fair Trade certified coffee, which garantees a fair minimum price to small-scale farmers who work in cooperatives. This year we will focus on workplace coffee and the University of Wasington. We also are active supporters of the Fair Trade Apple campaign.

Brewing Justice in the Workplace

Using Fair Trade Coffee in your Office
Fair Trade has never been more important to the world’s coffee farmers. A profound crisis has taken hold in the coffee industry. Due to a global oversupply of low quality coffee, the world market price of coffee plummeted last year to all-time lows. The current price of 45-50 cents per pound is well below the cost of production. As a result, hundreds of thousands of small family farmers are losing their land and jobs, and fleeing their homes in rural areas in search of income to feed their families.

Fair Trade is a critical alternative. Fair Trade guarantees farmers a fair price for their coffee, (farmer cooperatives earn a minimum of $1.26 per lb) and creates direct trade links between producers and importers, bypassing exploitative middlemen. Income earned through Fair Trade markets enables farmers to stay out of debt, provide a decent standard of living for their family, stay on their land and to keep their children in school.

Fair Trade is also good for the environment. Most Fair Trade farmers grow coffee in a sustainable way under the canopy of shade trees, which provide critical habitat for migratory songbirds and other wildlife. 85% of all Fair Trade coffee is certified organic.

You can make a significant impact on the lives of family farmers and the environment just by choosing fair trade certified coffee for your home and workplace. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it also tastes great!

Different Fair Trade Coffee Options In your area, there are a number of Fair Trade licensed coffee roasters and coffee services that provide Fair Trade coffee for offices. Some companies offer it through an institutional coffee service provider and others provide coffee at wholesale prices directly. See the attached table for details, contact information and prices of Fair Trade Certified coffee available in your region. If your office is already getting its coffee through a coffee service provider, but you don’t see the provider on the list, please ask the provider if they offer FairTrade coffee.

Note that some of the companies offer special deals for non-profit organizations and associations; be sure to mention this when you talk to them. The following companies offer fundraising opportunities geared especially towards faith-based and non profit membership organizations: Outreach Coffee Company, Groundsfor Sharing, Equal Exchange, Pura Vida and Cafe Campesino.

Define Your Office Coffee Needs When discussing prices with a coffee roaster or distributor, they will likely ask for information about your specific needs. Consider:

How many pounds of coffee will you be buying, and how often?
Will you need equipment or extras?
(Brewers, cups, napkins, stirring sticks, etc.)
How often do you want to be billed? 30 days? 45 days? (The longer you wait, the easier it will be to get a satisfactory price.)

Educate Office Staff about Fair Trade Coffee Let your staff know that they aredrinking a cup of justice by displaying a Fair Trade Certified coffee sign and placing informational materials near the coffee. TransFair would be happy to make these available on request.

For more information contact Sonia at TransFair USA at 510-663-5260 x303 TransFair USA, 1611 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94612, www.fairtradecertified.org