Fair Trade Coffee

Question: Many campus coffee shops boast that they "proudly serve fair trade coffee," but does the fair trade movement actually make a difference in the lives of the poor and disadvantaged? Is free trade also fair trade?

Many coffee farmers grow and harvest coffee beans to make a living, but unfortunately they never used to be rewarded for their efforts. They lived poor and disadvantageous lives. Coffee manufacturing companies used to buy their coffee beans at a very small fraction of the world's market price. These coffee farmers were being paid much lower than the cost of coffee bean production.

Many people in the world became aware that these coffee farmers were being paid unfairly and they felt guilty every time they consume a cup of coffee. As a result of this guilt the Fair Trade Organization was founded by Christian Aid, CAFOD, Oxfam, the World Development, Traidcraft and later they were joined by Britain's largest, the Women's Institute. This Organization organized a social movement that allows coffee producers to receive a fair price for their products. Fair trade was a way to alleviate poverty, improve working condition and to distribute justice in trading. Many coffee farmers became a part of this fair trade system and were thus living a better quality of life.

Thanks to fair trade many small scale coffee farmers are now able to improve their poor and disadvantaged lives. This is why campus coffee shops can boast that they "proudly serve fair trade coffee" and we as consumers can drink a hot cup of coffee without feeling guilty, because we know that the coffee beans were purchased under fair conditions.

Many coffee farmers grow and harvest coffee beans to make a living, but unfortunately they never used to be rewarded for their efforts. They lived poor and disadvantageous lives. Coffee manufacturing companies used to buy their coffee beans at a very small fraction of the world's market price. These coffee farmers were being paid much lower than the cost of coffee bean production.

Many people in the world became aware that these coffee farmers were being paid unfairly and they felt guilty every time they consume a cup of coffee. As a result of this guilt the Fair Trade Organization was founded by Christian Aid, CAFOD, Oxfam, the World Development, Traidcraft and later they were joined by Britain's largest, the Women's Institute. This Organization organized a social movement that allows coffee producers to receive a fair price for their products. Fair trade was a way to alleviate poverty, improve working condition and to distribute justice in trading. Many coffee farmers became a part of this fair trade system and were thus living a better quality of life.

Thanks to fair trade many small scale coffee farmers are now able to improve their poor and disadvantaged lives. This is why campus coffee shops can boast that they "proudly

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