This essay discusses the Fair Trade Coffee movement and the advantages of Fair Trade Coffee over regular coffee.

Essay by smr806High School, 11th gradeA+, January 2004

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The Fair Trade Certified coffee movement exists today to ensure that the small size

coffee producers, who make up the majority of the world's coffee production, receive a

fair price for their coffee. Mass producers of coffee are able to grow their products at a

cheaper expense, often with lower quality, and as a result, they can sell their coffee for a

cheaper price. The problem with this is that the smaller producers must lower their

coffee prices in order to attract any business at all. Unfortunately, the small producers

have had to lower their prices so far that they cannot even survive on the money made

from their sales.

Fair Trade organizations began in the late 1950's. They started in Europe and the

United States, whose organizations bought goods directly from the third world countries

in which they were produced. These third world companies and producers were

previously too dependent on commercial middlemen, who often paid them unfair

amounts for goods.

The Fair Trade organizations of Europe and the US made sure that

these third world producers receive a fair, livable wage.

When buying Fair Trade coffee, you are benefiting people and the environment in

several different ways. First of all, the conditions under which Fair Trade coffee is

grown helps to protect the environment. In order for coffee to get the Fair Trade

Certification, the coffee must be grown according to strict regulations. Large farm

producers of coffee are able to afford to clear a field of trees and use chemicals and

pesticides to increase their coffee production, thus hurting the natural state of the

environment. Fair Trade coffee is mostly grown under the shade of trees, without

chemicals. This eliminates the problem of deforestation in an already disappearing rain

forest, ensures that animals living in this forested...