Fairtrade coffee has become widespread in recent years. The term „Fairtrade“ comes from the English language and means „fair trade“. But why is fair trade so important? Are there differences in quality or taste to other coffee producers or coffees? Supermarkets offer these coffee in significantly lower quantities than more well-known coffee brands that do not carry the Fairtrade seal. Even online shops offer this coffee and take on average more money for this than for other coffees.

Fairtrade seal is a predicate

Fair trade in food is not new. In coffee growing areas, many coffee farmers do not even know that their coffee is sold in Europe under this seal, even though they actually have to be informed about it. With this seal there is a flip side of the coin that „black sheep“ discovered for themselves. Here, the buyer is suggested that the cultivation of coffees takes place under fair conditions and the farmers are paid fairly. The harvest workers also receive a reasonable wage, and are also insured under the national framework social and health insurance.

Unfortunately, that’s only half the story. There are loopholes in the awarding of the seal and precise checks by the German or European inspection bodies are often left out. This annoys especially those who are actually interested in fair trade and do not let this predicate print on coffee packaging.

How can a customer know if it is Fairtrade coffee is?

Customers recognize that Fairtrade coffee on the Fairtrade seal. This must be visibly printed on the packaging. Unfortunately, this is not a guarantee. Finally, it is not immediately apparent to the coffee drinker whether the manufacturer has acted fairly. Nobody can fly to Nicaragua in the short term to carry out a local inspection. Consumer advocates, however, give valuable information in this regard, because all coffee drinkers can collect information before buying a product, which provide information about the trade.

These include reports published on the internet. Reporters have already made their way to Africa and South America more often to take a closer look at coffee cultivation. It has been partly amazing results. A safe variant is research on local consumer protection. There, the manufacturer is simply stated and the consumer advocates inquire about the conditions and share the results.

One of the most important magazines is „Stiftung Warentest“. However, the editors have their own criteria for testing products, as do many other online platforms. These do not always have to match your own interests. Why gathering multiple pieces of information from different sources is important to scrutinize the manufacturer and product.

For example, companies can come to the annual „Nordic Organic Food Fair“ trade fair held in Malmö after the Fairtrade coffee inquire and maintain exchanges with manufacturers. Traders prevent products from „black sheep“ from landing on their own shelves.

Fairtrade coffee with a clear conscience

Vegan, vegetarian, organic and fairtrade are often just mainstream trends. It’s just about to drink in a fairtrade coffee and post that on the social media channels. After all, many users are fulfilling their social conscience to have done something good. Who is not for the sake of a trend one Fairtrade coffee looking for and would like to acquire this for a good reason, there is a large selection of products available.

Many buyers have already rated the following sample products positively:
The „360 ° honestly premium coffee“ consists of 100% Arabica highland beans, which contain little acid, but chocolate powder with a very high cocoa content. This coffee has been awarded the Fairtrade seal and is produced by a German company.

Known is the brand „Happy Coffee“, which offers various types of coffee on the market. The espresso beans come, for example, from Mexico. One of the most important coffee growing countries in the world. Arabica coffee ground, in an environmentally friendly packaging also for refilling coffee cans.

„Christof Feichtinger is a coffee maker who trusts in beans from Guatemala, which is available as whole beans or ground, otherwise Europe’s number one coffee country is Italy, and in cities like Trieste and Turin, there are the best coffee houses in Europe, many of them Fairtrade coffee in small series, which can also be enjoyed locally in the piazza.