Fair trade coffee dilemma

I like good coffee. I Also try and support fair trade goods whenever I can. These two statements used to be an oxymoron: I remember twenty or so years ago when to drink fair trade coffee you had to be really committed because it tasted dreadful. Now there is a wonderful range of fair trade coffees from many different parts of the world available from the specialist fair trade suppliers and in our regular supermarkets.

When we purchase fairly traded goods we know that the growers will get a better deal and they and their communities will benefit. I was privileged two years ago to have a coffee farmer from Ethiopia stay with us for a night as he was on a tour of the UK to promote fair trade. Since then I have particularly looked for Ethiopian coffee as he was very convincing in his arguments that his Aribica was the best in the world!

But last week I was faced with a dilemma. In the supermarket there is a fantastic range of fairtrade coffee and my local traidcraft representative has a selection of fairtrade coffee too. There is a difference though. And the difference isn't in quality but in price. To put it bluntly the supermarket is selling fairtrade coffee at a much lower price than the person who has a stall in the church and who I have been supporting for years. It is a significant difference and not just a matter of a few pennies. If it were just a few pence then I perhaps it could be because of the bulk buying power of the supermarkets. 

Is Traidcraft fund raising and loading its prices to cover these advocacy activities? I suspect they have significantly higher margins than supermarkets. Are the farmers still getting a fair price from supermarket fair trade? They must be because I know the Fairtrade mark is very carefully regulated and major supermarkets know that there are many critical watchdogs examining their ethical credentials.

I am delighted that Fair trade coffee has entered the mainstream and is competing on a level playing field with the major brands. I know that it is very able to compete in terms of quality. I expect to pay a small premium for the product to ensure that the producers are not ripped off. But I am not alone in looking at price as a factor in everything I buy. If there are two equally good fair trade brands I will pay for the one that costs me less. There needs to be more transparency in this area.