The Coffee Farmer
Coffee cultivation is a backbreaking, arduous undertaking. What makes matters worse for hard working coffee farmers is the low coffee prices that have persisted for the last 50 years (often lower than the cost of production). Whether employed by large plantations or working on their own small family farms, those who tend the coffee tree and pick its fruit have long eked out the barest of livelihoods. And with the farmer’s pay based on the number of bags picked, many have been obliged to have their children work alongside them.
Fair Trade Coffee
In the 1980s, the specialty coffee movement spawned new interest in how coffee is produced. When the lot of the coffee farmer came before the world stage, the concept of “Fair Trade” coffee was born. Fair Trade coffee is sold for more than market price with the difference being paid to the farmer. Indentifiable by the Fair Trade logo on the package, it is more expensive than other coffees. It has only captured a fraction of the coffee market, but represents a move towards redressing the social inequalities created by coffee.
