 The coffee trees are planted in a shady, warm environment.  Planted from a seed the coffee tree takes 3 yrs to grow and then 6 yrs to mature.  The coffee cherries are hand picked or picked by machine from the coffee trees  Where they are peeled and then laid out to dry and 15 days later the coffee beans are assorted by size.  The sorted coffee beans are sold to and then shipped to the seller or roaster.  The coffee cherries are ready to be roasted, ground and packaged.

 I consume coffee on a daily basis, I have grown to love visiting local coffee shops and trying new blends.  I have recently become interested in my impact on society and fair trade coffee is making a huge difference for people across the world.  I wanted to explore and learn more about this product I have grown to love and consume so often.

 Fair trade means that farmers can earn a fair profit for the items they produce and sell.  Coffee farmers often are forced to sell their coffee beans to questionable buyers and for questionable prices.

 Notice the dollar amount that goes back to the farmer at the bottom of the map.

 To become a fair trade farm, many guidelines must be met:  No Child Labor  No Forced Labor  Health and Safety  Right to Collective Bargaining  No Discrimination  Discipline  Fair Working Hours  Fair Wages

 Farmers can send their children to school instead of using them on the farm.  Workers work in safe conditions with safety equipment.  Farmers earn more for each pound of coffee.  Less pollution as the coffee beans skip various middle men.

Local stores, super markets and coffee shops are noticing an increase in sales of fair trade coffee.  Logos help the consumer know when they are buying fair trade coffee.  Many towns have lobbied to become “fair trade towns”, such as London, Belfast and many others.  Starbucks has even been motivated to create its own program called the Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices that draws more attention to fair trade coffee.

 The journey of the coffee bean to a local coffee mug is a becoming a short and fair journey for over a million pounds of coffee each year.  Consumers who once found themselves mindlessly purchasing coffee for a quick pick me up can now simply purchase a package labeled fair trade, and find that their actions could change millions of lives.