Search -
Javatrekker: Dispatches From the World of Fair Trade Coffee
Javatrekker Dispatches From the World of Fair Trade Coffee Author:Dean Cycon Behind a single coffee bean lie the stories of countless lives and cultures, of success, opportunity, struggle, and tradition amid a complex global landscape of economics and desire. Founder and owner of Dean's Beans Organic Coffee, Dean Cycon is truly one of the few people on Earth who can be described as a professor of coffee. In Javatrekker, ... more »Cycon explores the untold origins of coffee through his travels to ten different producing countries. Drawing upon his wide range of experience and study as a coffee roasting entrepreneur, lawyer, activist, and development worker, he shares the unique qualities of the coffee, insight into the lands and culture, and a greater understanding of the economic and personal challenges of bringing each bean to your grinder.
What is Fair Trade Coffee?
Coffee prices paid to the farmer are based on the international commodity price for coffee (the C price) and the quality premium each farmer negotiates. Fair Trade provides an internationally determined minimum floor price when the C plus premium sinks below $1.26 per pound for conventional and $1.41 for organics (that's us!). As important as price, Fair Trade works with small farmers to create democratic cooperatives that insure fair dealing, accountability and transparency in trade transactions. In an industry where the farmer is traditionally ripped off by a host of middlemen, this is tremendously important.
Cooperatives are examined by the Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO), or the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT), European NGOs, for democratic process and transparency. Those that pass are listed on the FLO Registry or become IFAT members. Cooperatives provide important resources and organization to small farmers in the form of technical assistance for crop and harvest improvement, efficiencies in processing and shipping, strength in negotiation and an array of needed social services, such as health care and credit. Fair Trade also requires pre-financing of up to sixty percent of the value of the contract, if the farmers ask for it. Several groups, such as Ecologic and Green Development Fund have created funds for pre-finance lending.« less