Starbucks and Fairtrade

In the UK and Ireland, all Starbucks expresso, used in lattes and cappucinos, is 100% Fairtrade certified.

As part of their training, their baristas learn how the coffee is purchased and how working with Fairtrade makes a difference to the lives of the coffee farmers and their families.

According to their website, Starbucks say that they have been purchasing and selling Fairtrade coffee for ten years. They say that they have doubled their commitment to purchasing Fairtrade from 20 million lbs to 40 million lbs and say that in doing so “….. we will also double the premium we pay to Fairtrade farmers through our global purchases….”

Read through their Fairtrade pages by clicking here.

Black Gold

 

At the weekend I watched Black Gold and it really does need to be shouted about.

Ethiopia is known for having the best tasting coffee and yet it is no exaggeration to say that their farmers are struggling to survive from their meagre earnings.

The film follows the manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union, Tadesse Maskela. The union represents 74,000 farmers. He is trying to save them from bankruptcy and to find better prices for the high quality coffee.

For me there were a few particularly upsetting points.

Tadesse shows the women who work in the processing plant. They work eight hours a day picking out the bad beans by hand. You can see how hard and fast they are working, all for half a dollar a day.

It also tells you of the main players world wide. One of them being a very large and well known coffee chain who have their beans produced in one region. When I saw the poverty they were suffering it made me feel sick that people are happily purchasing their coffee without realising that there are so called “therapeutic feeding centres” which have been set up to help the villagers. Only they can’t help everyone and have certain criteria that must be met. One young girl was shown who weighed 9.5 kg (or 20.9lbs) and she was sent away because she didn’t meet the criteria.

Everyone should see this film, it’s a real eye opener and just shows you what is happening in the world today. It makes me even more determined to ensure I stick to my Fairtrade brand and to keep persuading others to make the change.

Visit the website.

Fair Trade Standards

There are many different problems that farmers and workers in developing countries can come up against.

Coffee and cocoa is often grown on land owned by small farmers who market their goods through local co-operatives. This is why it is so important for them to receive a fair price for their goods. However, tea is usually grown on large estates. For the workers who are employed on these estates, the most important factors are that they receive fair wages and that they are able to work in safe conditions, free from harassment.

Taking the above into account, there are two sets of standards:-

1. Those that apply to small farmers and co-operatives (or similar, equivalent organisations), which ensure that there are standards and structures where everyone is involved in making the decisions that affect them.

2. Those that apply to workers on plantations and factories. These standards include:

• Providing workers with decent wages.
• The right and opportunity to be a part of a trade union.
• That health and safety regulations are followed.
• Provisions in place to protect the environment.
• No use of child labour.
• No use of forced labour.

These are minimum standards that must be met in order to be certified as fair trade. There are also certain standards that those who are buying from the producers must adhere to:

• Pay the producers a price that covers the cost of production and cost of living.
• Pay the producers a premium that they are able to invest into developments.
• Make advance payments to the producer if requested.
• Sign contacts to allow producers to make long term plans and begin production processes that they are able to sustain.

As well as adhering to minimum standards, producers are encouraged to continue developing their company by investing in the development of it, increasing environmentally friendly practices and continuing to improve working conditions and the quality of their products.