Brimming with Benefits
Fair Trade helps family farmers in developing countries to gain direct access to international markets, as well as to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace. By learning how to market their own harvests, Fair Trade farmers are able to bootstrap their businesses and receive a fair price for their products, including your morning brew.

Today's historic lows in world coffee prices have created a crisis for millions of farmers around the world. Most small-scale family farmers live in remote locations, and are dependent on local middlemen (known as "coyotes" in Latin America) to purchase their coffee, often at a fraction of its worth. Fair Trade guarantees farmers a set minimum price for their coffee and links farmer-run cooperatives directly with US importers, cutting out middlemen and creating the conditions for long-term sustainability. To see how the Fair Trade Route compares to the Conventional Trade Route, click here >.

Through Fair Trade, farmers and their families are earning a better income for their hard work-allowing them to hold on to their land, keep their kids in school, and invest in the quality of their harvest-so they can continue to grow excellent quality coffee for your morning brew.

The Fair Trade label is good for your business

The Fair Trade Certified label is the consumer guarantee that farmers are getting a fair deal for their products. This helps your company build customer loyalty, tap into profitable and growing consumer segments, and distinguish your business from your competitors.

• Tap rising consumer demand
• Offer high quality products
• Distinguish yourself in the marketplace
• Win new accounts

To learn how to become a licensed roaster, click here >

To learn how to become a licensed importer, click here >

To learn how to retail Fair Trade Certified coffee through your business, click here >

Tap rising consumer demand

• Consumer demand for Fair Trade Certified products is rising. That's why more than 250 companies are now offering Fair Trade Certified products in over 20,000 retail outlets across the country, including Safeway, Trader Joe's, Wild Oats, Whole Foods, Albertson's, Publix, Harris Teeter and numerous national café chains.
• An all-time high of 81% of Americans say they are likely to switch brands to help support a cause, when price and quality are equal. (Cone/Roper 2002)
• Third-party certification is key to building consumer confidence in cause-related marketing.

Offer high quality products

• "Fair Trade Certified coffees are among the best", says industry expert Bob Fulmer, President of Royal Coffee (a leading specialty coffee importer in the US). Coffee Review consistently ranks Fair Trade Certified coffees high for taste.
• You can source the coffees that best meet your needs. Fair Trade Certified coffee is available from 300 cooperatives in 23 countries across Latin America, Asia and Africa. TransFair distributes a monthly Green Coffee Availability list to licensed roasters, detailing all the products available through Fair Trade licensed importers.
• Fair Trade provides farmers the income they need to invest in quality, with modernized processing facilities and technical training - steps that improve flavor and consistency in the final product.

Distinguish yourself in the marketplace and Win New Accounts
Offering Fair Trade Certified products provides a point of differentiation between you and your competitors. You can win new accounts by offering Fair Trade Certified products. In addition to a growing list of national grocery accounts, campuses, faith-based organizations, environmental organizations and foundations are committed supporters of Fair Trade, and many have converted their institutional accounts in response to growing demand.