# Fairtrade, good or bad?



## chrisweaver_barista (Jun 14, 2008)

Pre-empting a discussion about to bloom, I'm creating this thread to discuss the pros (sic) and cons of fairtrade!


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## chrisweaver_barista (Jun 14, 2008)

Lets start with the guaranteed price, I seemed to recall its in the $1.40 per pound region, which at the minute is actually dancing round the market price of commodity traded coffee?


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## SeamusMcFlurry (Jul 9, 2008)

Just got into Florence, so I can start ranting now.


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## chrisweaver_barista (Jun 14, 2008)

Good to hear Chris, flight and travel all well?

Had a good coffee yet?

Fairtrade?


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## SeamusMcFlurry (Jul 9, 2008)

I don't want to spoil the coffee by describing it on this forum. I can only really do it justice in a blog, so I point everyone to Third Wave UK, I'll hav it up later tonight. And yeah the flight was alright. No air conditioning on the bus from Pisa though. Again, I'll go through it all in the blog. And I'll get onto Fairtrade tomorrow


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## James Hoffmann (Jul 24, 2008)

Before making any sweeping statement it might be worth people doing a little reading:

I would start here 

And then maybe here


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## SeamusMcFlurry (Jul 9, 2008)

I'll be honest. My problem lies less with Fairtrade as a concept, or even as an organisation. It lies with the way that some companies market themselves as fairtrade when they only use a small percentage of fairtrade goods. An example of this would be a roaster or coffee shop claiming to care about Fairtrade and the ethical sourcing of coffee, when only a tiny percentage of their product is actually Fairtrade.

Now, I realise that, as an example, Starbucks' 1% of Fairtrade coffee is going to make a hell of a bigger difference to farmers than a tiny train station kiosk using 100% Fairtrade coffee, but in my opinion it shows the wrong attitude. If you're going to start claiming you care about fairtrade then it has to be one or the other. It's like claiming to be a Geordie through and through, but living South of the Tyne six days a week.

And for all off you who didn't understand that...well...it's simply the culture of a barbaric, Northern tribe.

My other problem is that the consumer, and sometimes the retailer, takes Fairtrade to be the pinacle, the be all and end all, and that because they are paying Fairtrade prices they needn't pay any more. This is a fallacy. Fairtrade, as I am sure any Fairtrade spokesperson would admit, is simply one step on the way to truly ethical sourcing. The base price for Fairtrade is the lowest price a consumer or retailer should be paying. The day that all speciality coffee is fetching CoE aution prices is the day we can boast truly fair trade.

And this fair trade is mutually beneficial. As the famer is paid more he has money to send on investment. This means that his coffee may improve, fetching a higher price and giving a return on his investment. In turn this gives retailers and baristi a far better product with which to serve their customers, and the customer gets the very best coffee without having to worry about the farmers being exploited.

So, in summary, I have no problem wih the idea of Fairtrade, simply that people use it not as an ideal, but more of a marketing tool. What we need to do now is to look to roasters who truly care, such as Steve and Jeremy at Union, or Steve Leighton at Hasbean.


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## SeamusMcFlurry (Jul 9, 2008)

I wanted to say this in my other post, but it felt like it was starting to ramble on. I do understand that roasting and selling is first and foremost a buisness, and as a barista I can't just start getting dewy eyed and scream about prices for farmers. It have to be economically viable for the company. But it is an investment in quality. The rise of the Fairtrade Foundation, and the Organic movement is proof that people in the street are starting to care about their food, and the people who make it.

However, I'll be honest, my opinion may have been somewhat warped by Portafilter.com, CoffeeGeek, Steve and Jeremy and Ruairi McGuinness (my boss), so please, someone, give me a balanced view!


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## PhilDaCoffeeGuy (Aug 3, 2008)

For me, I think that it is all about representing your personal ethics through your business (did that make sense)

Fairtrade is a wonderful concept but not really cutting the mustard for me at the moment

I suppose I pretty much agree with mr McFlurry (even if I do have personal differences with one of the mentioned parties)


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## chrisweaver_barista (Jun 14, 2008)

Wow James thanks for the great links.

one thing I scrolled straight to is the fairtrade minimum price. And where it say's that if the fairtrade minimum price drops below market price the market price becomes payable, I was highly suprised. As this was one of the main pieces of propaganda I have been fed. I'm happy, and very proud of fairtrade for offering this clause.

However, the issue of quality isn't mentioned at all. As far as I know, the coffee is bought by weight, not quality. And as such, this would create an atmosphere of quantity against quality.

Whereas processes like the Cup of Excellence, really encourages quality, and pays a great price for it.

Any thoughts?

Chris

[quick edit] one more thought though, whilst the lowest prices guaranteed in 2008, through market price, and thus fairtrade sits around the $1.30 mark, Cup of Excellence is guaranteeing high prices, for the farmers focusing on quality, but is this sustainable, especially considering the amount of instant, and low quality coffee people are prepared to drink?


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## SeamusMcFlurry (Jul 9, 2008)

The one problem with CoE is that it only rewards the very best coffees from each country. With current coffee prices only the bravest farmers will enter their coffees, and still have no guarentee of getting anything from it. However, once again, it is a fantastic step in the right direction.


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