10 Things You Didn’t Know About Fairtrade Coffee

Consumers are increasingly prioritizing ethical and sustainable coffee choices, with 47% of Canadian coffee drinkers specifically looking for Fairtrade options and 51% willing to pay extra for sustainably sourced products.^[1]

Since 2001, Canterbury has proudly partnered with Fairtrade to offer Fairtrade Organic certified coffee. Continue reading to learn ten compelling reasons why your business should choose Fairtrade.

^[1] Canadian Coffee Drinking Trends June 2023

Coffee is cultivated within the bean belt— the equatorial zone between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn that has the ideal climate and soil for coffee production. In this region, more than 872,916 coffee farmers operate across 663 Fairtrade certified farms.^[2] Most of these coffee farms are smaller than seven football fields, yet they produce about three-quarters of the world’s coffee. Fairtrade works directly with smallholders like these to improve working conditions and promote sustainable development.

^[2] Fairtrade Coffee 101

Consumers are actively looking to support ethical practices and fair wages, helping create a more equitable global coffee industry. In fact, over 85% of Canadians trust the Fairtrade Mark, saying it positively influences their perception of a brand. This trust has directly impacted coffee sales, with Canadian licensees selling 12,913,673 kilograms of roasted coffee last year—a 5% increase from the previous year.^[3]

^[3] Fairtrade Canada Impact Report 2023

Coffee roasters, like Canterbury, pay a premium for Fairtrade coffee, which is governed by Fairtrade’s economic standards, designed to provide farmers with income security and financial independence. These standards include the Fairtrade Minimum Price, which acts as a safety net against fluctuating market prices, and the Fairtrade Premium, which gives coffee producers additional funds to invest as they see fit. In 2023 alone, Fairtrade Coffee sales in Canada generated nearly seven million USD in Fairtrade Premiums.^[4] By purchasing and serving Fairtrade coffee, your business directly supports small-scale farmers, providing them with a stable income and improving their quality of life.

^[4] Fairtrade Canada Impact Report 2023

The Fairtrade Standards require coffee producers to increase wages so that their employees can earn a living wage. To further protect workers in regions with exceptionally low salaries, Fairtrade enforces the Floor Wage, a minimum wage that must be paid regardless of local economic conditions or prevailing wages.

Fairtrade also works with the Global Living Wage Coalition, to develop living wage benchmarks for specific countries and regions. These benchmarks help identify wage gaps and encourage collaboration among employers, workers, buyers, and retailers to find sustainable solutions.

In 2007, Canterbury implemented the Beyond Fair Trade program to further support coffee producers and their communities. With this program, a percentage of every pound sold from Canterbury’s Doi Chaang brand goes toward directly supporting farming communities. The program funds initiatives that improve access to education, healthcare, and equality. 

Additionally, proceeds from every kilogram of Canterbury Roastery coffees sold are directed to support global coffee-growing regions.

Coffee farmers are on the front lines of climate change, which intensifies existing challenges such as low crop yields, food insecurity, water scarcity, and extreme weather conditions like droughts and floods. 

To address these issues, Fairtrade developed the Fairtrade Climate Standard. This initiative helps smallholders and rural communities produce Fairtrade Carbon Credits, which focuses on improving energy efficiency, promoting renewable energy, and supporting afforestation and reforestation. Developed in collaboration with the Gold Standard, this approach gives all stakeholders a voice in decision-making and can contribute to climate change mitigation while adapting to its impacts.

The Fairtrade certification is expanding each year, with more smallholder farming cooperatives, plantations, and other organizations joining the movement. A key feature of Fairtrade is the equal partnership between farmers, workers, and other stakeholders in the certification process. Farmers and workers hold 50% of the voting power at the General Assembly and are always involved in decisions regarding new Standards, prices, and policies.

Additionally, the three regional Fairtrade producer networks have representation on the Board of Directors at Fairtrade International, so that producers’ voices are heard globally.

Although women’s involvement in farming has grown over time, they still face significant barriers, including limited access to land, resources, information, credit, and training. Currently, women represent just 18% of Fairtrade Coffee farmers.^[5]

Fairtrade is committed to promoting gender equality by actively encouraging women’s participation in decision-making and supporting their access to equal benefits from Fairtrade opportunities. Through the Fairtrade Premium, specific projects are implemented to support women, leading to changes in decision-making and governance within certified producer organizations and enhancing economic opportunities for women.

Moreover, many producer organizations are conducting gender analyses and launching new initiatives, including gender equality programs, gender committees, and policies, to further advance gender equity.

^[5] Fairtrade Coffee 101

Many coffee-growing regions are among the most biodiverse places on Earth, but climate change is threatening this rich diversity by forcing coffee farms into new areas. By 2050, major coffee-producing countries could lose 30-60% of their land suitable for coffee cultivation.

To help farmers adapt to climate change, Fairtrade offers training in climate-smart agricultural practices, making coffee farming more sustainable and resilient. This training helps farmers through challenges like income loss, food insecurity, and increased costs for adaptation.

In November 2023, Fairtrade International teamed up with Satelligence to enhance satellite monitoring of forests and farms. This new initiative will provide Fairtrade cooperatives with vital data on deforestation risks and help them manage their landscapes better.

Additionally, Fairtrade International has joined forces with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in a new declaration to promote sustainable supply chains. This partnership will focus on supporting smallholder farmers by improving market access, impact investments, and environmental and human rights practices.

Fairtrade is committed to promoting coffee production practices that don’t involve child labour. They focus on areas where the risk is high, working closely with farmers, organizations, plantations, and others to create a community-based approach to prevent and address child exploitation. 

By fostering dialogue among producer groups, governments, and other stakeholders, Fairtrade helps develop and scale up local solutions. If child labour issues are detected during audits, Fairtrade’s independent auditor, FLOCERT, collaborates on corrective actions to prevent future cases.

Fairtrade offers full traceability from farm to cup, so your business can be confident about where your coffee comes from and the conditions in which it was produced. 

FLOCERT plays a crucial role in this process. As an independent third-party auditor, FLOCERT ensures transparency and unbiased verification of the Fairtrade Standards. They not only check compliance but also provide valuable feedback for improvement if any issues are found. Fairtrade also regularly reviews and updates its Standards based on producer feedback so they remain effective and relevant.