Fair Trade

Fair Trade had me puzzled. Even Bean Activist Chris O’Brian comments on the complexity of fair trade in his article The Wall Street Journal’s Fair Trade Faux Pas: “fair trade is complex enough as it is without the media complicating it further by making easily avoidable mistakes.” His criticism of the WSJ’s innocent mix up between “fair trade” and “free trade” is understandable. Yet, even from the naïve perspective of the WSJ’s article Tours to Fair-Trade Farms Help Coffee Sellers Spread Word, I was enlightened. The proposal of sending both potential buyers and committed customers of “fair trade” coffee to rural farms in third world countries intrigued me on whole new level. Granted, the business benefits from this set up would be profitable. However, what caught my eye was the endeavor to establish connections with people.

People are the heartbeat behind my love of coffee. When I see those in need protected as O’Brian commented, “justice and sustainability are important in their own right,” fair trade wins my devotion through its commitment to people. In statement made by Global Exchange, they believe “in a total transformation of the coffee industry, so that all coffee sold in this country should be Fair Trade Certified, or if produced on a plantation, that workers' rights should be guaranteed and independently monitored. Our view includes social justice and environmental sustainability.”

My first encounter with fair trade was while sitting in a Starbucks work shop. There they elicited your awe and praise by telling story after story of people and farms that they have saved with their participation with fair trade. As suspicious of it as I was at the time, the stories went to my heart. And after a little research were justified. I found documents establishing the alleviation of poverty in area’s of third-world countries where fair trade had been established. So, although, I may not know all about Fair Trade business, I respect and admire the justice and equality for individuals they are endeavoring to accomplish.