To understand why socially responsible coffee is on the rise, we first have to understand the coffee crisis. Most coffee farmers are currently receiving about 4% of the final selling price or about $600 a year. Farmers cannot afford to employ the help they need and worst yet, cannot afford to re-invest back into the coffee infrastructure (trees, soil, irrigation, etc). What you have is massive economic collapse in coffee communities. This situation has given rise to a “sustainable solution.” Basically, it guarantees incentives and fair compensation for the extra efforts of re-investing back into their crops.

In the coffee world, you often hear the terms “fair trade” and “organic,” but what do these terms mean? Fair trade refers to coffee that has been certified by a nonprofit organization called TransFair. In order to be certified as fair trade, a farmer must adhere to stringent requirements. In return, the farmer is guaranteed a fair minimum price for the product. In addition, the incentive drives community development and fosters economic independence for other coffee-producing communities.

Organic Certified coffee also provides financial incentives to farmers who focus on quality and encourages sustainable farming practices such as natural pest control (no fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides or fungicides) and the interplanting of shade trees. This rigorous certification process begins in the fields and is maintained throughout the roasting and packaging facility. Each step of the process has to be certified by a third party.