A COMMODITY CHAIN ANALYSIS ON FAIR
TRADE COFFEE
BECOMING A CUP OF JOE…
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The coffee trees are planted in a
shady, warm environment.
Planted from a seed the coffee
tree takes 3 yrs to grow and then
6 yrs to mature.
The coffee cherries are hand
picked or picked by machine from
the coffee trees
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Where they are peeled and then
laid out to dry and 15 days later the
coffee beans are assorted by size.
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The sorted coffee beans are sold to
and then shipped to the seller or
roaster.
The coffee cherries are ready to be
roasted, ground and packaged.
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WHY FAIR TRADE COFFEE?
I consume coffee on a daily basis, I have grown
to love visiting local coffee shops and trying
new blends.
 I have recently become interested in my impact
on society and fair trade coffee is making a
huge difference for people across the world.
 I wanted to explore and learn more about this
product I have grown to love and consume so
often.
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FAIR TRADE AND COFFEE
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Fair trade means that farmers can earn a fair
profit for the items they produce and sell.
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Coffee farmers often are forced to sell their
coffee beans to questionable buyers and for
questionable prices.
MORE FOR THE FARMER…
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Notice the dollar amount that goes back to the
farmer at the bottom of the map.
BECOMING A FAIR TRADE FARM
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To become a fair trade farm, many guidelines must
be met:
No Child Labor
 No Forced Labor
 Health and Safety
 Right to Collective Bargaining
 No Discrimination
 Discipline
 Fair Working Hours
 Fair Wages
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BENEFITS OF FAIR TRADE
Farmers can send their children to school
instead of using them on the farm.
 Workers work in safe conditions with safety
equipment.
 Farmers earn more for each pound of coffee.
 Less pollution as the coffee beans skip various
middle men.

Local stores,
super markets
and coffee
shops are
noticing an
increase in
sales of fair
trade coffee.
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Logos help the consumer know when
they are buying fair trade coffee.
Many towns have lobbied to become
“fair trade towns”, such as London,
Belfast and many others.
Starbucks has even been motivated
to create its own program called the
Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices
that draws more attention to fair
trade coffee.
CONSUMERS AND FAIR TRADE
KONA BLEND OR A COLOMBIAN ROAST?
The journey of the coffee bean to a local coffee
mug is a becoming a short and fair journey for
over a million pounds of coffee each year.
 Consumers who once found themselves
mindlessly purchasing coffee for a quick pick
me up can now simply purchase a package
labeled fair trade, and find that their actions
could change millions of lives.
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