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Have you heard of the term “fair trade”? If not the exact definition of the phrase, you have probably heard a lot about buying fair trade and organic items lately, especially concerning everyday necessities like coffee. So, what is Fair Trade?
Fair Trade is a method of purchasing and selling products and commodities in which local producers and communities are engaged in the commodity’s growth and production and are respected and given a fair rate.
Purchasing fair trade items has several advantages. Let’s get right to the point and discuss the many benefits of buying fair trade coffee.
It Tastes Better
Everyone relishes their coffee in their own way, and the taste of that first cup in the morning is the most vital. Organic, fair-trade coffee is not only better for your health, but it also tastes better. As global coffee consumption grows, mass-production methods result in lower-quality coffee. Organic coffee that is cultivated sustainably is frequently grown at a slower pace and under the canopy of a rainforest. It is also cultivated without the use of artificial fertilizers or pesticides, which allows the coffee to retain all of its nutrients.
Sustainability of the Environment
When you buy fair trade, organic coffee, you also support environmental sustainability by reducing and eliminating the use of hazardous toxic agrochemicals, pesticides, and other chemical additions. Furthermore, many fair trade coffee growers use sustainable production methods to ensure that the natural environment thrives for future generations.
Organic coffee is prepared without the use of harsh chemicals that are typically used on non-organic beans during the pressing process. Moreover, organic coffee plants produce soil that retains its unique nutritional foundation. These plants may then slowly and steadily feed nutrients back into the beans, imparting a rich, smooth flavour to the beans. It also permits the local soil to keep its diverse nutritional profile (compared to the depleted soils commonly found on full-sun coffee farms).
Fair Labour Practices
When you purchase fair trade coffee, you assist the workers, organizations, and communities engaged in the production to earn a liveable wage. This is a direct protest against commodity practices that deprive employees of the minimum wage needed for basic food, shelter, medical care, and education.
When you purchase from a fair trade farmer or manufacturer, you are also investing a little portion of your money in that community. Unlike many coffee growers that relocate into villages and towns and adopt local customs and culture, many fair trade coffee cooperatives reinvest profits in local businesses and communities.
Community Development
Fair trade certified coffee directly promotes a better living for agricultural families in developing countries through fair prices, community development, and environmental care. Fairtrade coffee growers market their crops directly through long-term contracts with foreign customers, learning how to run their companies and compete in the global economy. Receiving a fair price for their produce enables these farmers to invest in the health and education of their families, reinvest in quality, and safeguard the environment.
Additionally, fair trade manufacturers consistently provide a social premium to particular
community development efforts such as housing, healthcare, education, leadership training, and women’s programs.
This empowerment strategy pulls agricultural households out of poverty via trade rather than assistance, resulting in a fairer and more sustainable international trade model that benefits coffee farmers, consumers, industry, and the environment.
Not Only Does It Taste Delicious, But It Is Also Packed With Nutrients
If you are a nutritionist or a health-nut gourmet, buying organic and fair-trade coffee means no artificial tastes, no odd chemicals like chlorine used to clean the coffee beans, and the entire roasting process resulting in a much healthier coffee bean. Before reaching your lips, the expensive latte may have passed through the hands of up to 10 distinct growers, exporters, brokers, processors, roasters, and merchants. Working directly with cooperatives of small bean producers, fair trade coffee tries to eliminate these costly middlemen.
Fair Trade Certified coffees are competitively priced, with just a minor price difference. Join the cause, and you will go a long way toward ensuring a steady supply of high-quality coffee. The funds will be used to enhance the neighbourhood, provide health care, and educate these coffee workers and their families. It’s for a good cause, after all.
