Bean to cup: the real value of a cup of Fairtrade coffee

By Kate Lewis, Business Development Manager, Fairtrade Foundation

My first trip since working at Fairtrade Foundation to visit coffee producers… three days in and it has been amazing, eye-opening and inspiring.

I am visiting two of the main coffee co-operatives in Peru with coffee trader DR Wakefield and coffee roaster Matthew Algie. The co-operatives are Cepicafe and Cecovasa. So far we have spent time with Cepicafe, both visiting their coffee mill and also the coffee plantation. If every consumer could take the journey I have taken, we would all value our morning cups of coffee even more. To get the coffee beans in our cups from the north of Peru the journey is a long one involving many stages, many people, thousands of miles and lots of hard work.

The lives of coffee farmers in such remote areas is something that you can only try to imagine. The Fairtrade system has helped these farmers to change their own lives and build strong futures for their businesses. The formation of co-operatives gives them access to markets world wide and enables them to provide training on coffee production resulting in improved productivity levels and the investment in machinery to improve and speed up processes. It is amazing to see the passion they have as a community and to see the role that Fairtrade can play in empowering farmers to get the best from the crop we all love.

‘Fairtrade is the best thing that could happen to small producers because besides having better prices, they have better living conditions. They also have better self esteem and they value themselves as producers. Now, to be a producer, is something to be proud of.’ Javier, General Manager, Sol y Cafe/Cepicafe.

Image: Alejandro - Fairtrade coffee farmer, Peru. Copyright Cafedirect