Why Buy Fair Trade Coffee

Coffee is a massive international commodity. Because of the extraordinary demand for coffee in the West, the coffee bean industry is one of the largest sites of forced labor around the world. The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 250 million child slaves working to produce many of our everyday purchases such as coffee and cocoa.

As you might imagine, forced laborers have little or no rights. They are exploited for their work, forced to work long hours with little or no pay. These workers are also often exposed to dangerous chemical fertilizers and pesticides that have been banned in the US, causing them to contract lifelong health conditions.

When we choose to buy Fair Trade, we are casting a vote for the ethical treatments of the laborers around the world who are responsible for our daily coffee fix. These 16 Fair Trade coffee brands have made it an integral part of their mission to develop lasting, mutually beneficial partnerships by employing Fair Trade and Direct Trade practices with the farmers who cultivate their crops. Here’s to drinking world changing cups of coffee.

You might also like our guide to healthy and organic meal kit delivery services and fair trade chocolate.