Fairtrade is about poverty alleviation, human development and empowerment. It is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. Fairtrade works to address the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers.
Do you use Fairtrade coffee in Wild Bean Cafe stores?
We use 100% Certified Fairtrade beans in all our coffee and hot chocolate in all our cafes in New Zealand
When did Wild Bean Cafe switch to 100% Fairtrade coffee?
Wild Bean Cafe started discussions with the Fair Trade Association in New Zealand in 2006. We wanted to ensure that we had the optimum flavour profile with the new beans, so that our customers could continue to enjoy Wild Bean Cafe’s characteristic flavour. We worked hard with our importer and roaster to achieve this and following a significant amount of logistical work, Wild Bean Cafe switched to Fairtrade coffee in June 2008. In 2009 we moved to Fairtrade hot chocolate and in 2010 we introduced Fairtrade sugar sticks.
Why did you choose to move to Fairtrade?
We saw increasing demand from our customers, across both New Zealand and Australia, for ethical and sustainable products. Fairtrade ensures a better deal for Third World producers, and it means Wild Bean Cafe customers can enjoy their coffee and hot chocolates a bit more, knowing they are helping to do good.
How much money do the farmers get for Fairtrade coffee?
The Fairtrade price provides a safety net for producers. It is the minimum price that Fairtrade coffee (or product) is bought at, and it guarantees that what farmers are paid is fair and sustainable. If the market price is higher than the Fairtrade mimimum price, farmers are paid the higher price. If the market drops lower than the Fairtrade minimum price, they will be paid the Fairtrade price. Buyers also pay a Fairtrade premium, a sum of money in addition to the Fairtrade price. This is paid to the producer organisation (i.e. the cooperative) and reinvested into the business to improve production levels – such as technical assistance for farmers, water reduction and recycling initiatives and organic fertiliser. It also assists social programmes that benefit the community.
What difference does Wild Bean Cafe’s contribution
make to coffee growers?
Our contribution, since switching to Fairtrade coffee in 2008, has meant CoopeAgri (one of the Costa Rica cooperatives) could plant around 70,000 new plants for its farmers, providing an ongoing, secure supply of coffee beans for years to come. Through our Fairtrade premiums support, the cooperative has also been able to release funds for social and economic projects that benefit the community, such as scholarships, water supply and conservation, housing and recycling.
Do you charge the customer more for your Fairtrade products?
The Fairtrade premium is not passed on to our customers.
Where does Wild Bean Cafe get its beans from?
The majority of Wild Bean Cafe’s coffee beans (about 50 per cent) come from the CoopeAgri R.L. cooperative in Costa Rica, with the remainder of beans from Bourbon Speciality Coffees SA in Brazil and COOP Grapos in Mexico. We source cocoa beans for our hot chocolate from Ghana.
Is Wild Bean Cafe buying these beans directly
from the farms?
Cerebos Gregg’s imports the coffee on our behalf. They purchase and transport the beans from the Fairtrade cooperative farms to New Zealand. The beans are then roasted here and packed fresh and sent out to our cafes.
How does Wild Bean Cafe’s Fairtrade coffee taste?
We use a blend of 80 per cent Arabica and 20 per cent Robusta. The Arabica beans give a stronger flavour and a richer crema (froth). When we switched to Fairtrade coffee in June 2008 we did extensive in-house and consumer testing, to ensure we replicated the same flavour profile as previously.
What is the difference between Fairtrade
and free trade?
Free trade is a simple market model in which the trade of goods and services between countries flows unhindered by government-imposed restrictions or trade distorting subsidies. Fairtrade, on the other hand, guarantees a minimum price for commodities and gives an additional social premium in order to protect the interests of the producer.
What is the Fairtrade Label?
The Fairtrade Label is an independent consumer certification label which appears on products. It helps guarantee that farmers receive at least the Fairtrade Minimum Price as well as an extra Fairtrade Premium to invest in social or economic development projects. For a product to display the Fairtrade Label it must meet internationally recognised Fairtrade Standards.
What is the Fairtrade Minimum Price?
The Fairtrade minimum price defines the lowest possible price that a buyer of Fairtrade products must pay the producer. The minimum price is set based on a consultative process with Fairtrade producers and traders and helps guarantee that producers receive a price which covers the cost of sustainable production. When the market price is higher than the Fairtrade minimum price, the market price is payable.
What is the Fairtrade Premium?
The premium is money paid on top of the Fairtrade minimum price that is invested in social, environmental and economic developmental projects, decided upon democratically by the producer group. Examples of investment include; education and health projects, housing projects, water conservation projects, organic agricultural practices, improving crop management and crop diversification.
International Fairtrade Standards
Find out more about Fairtrade and the International Fairtrade Standards.
