Fairtrade and organic coffee

Are Fairtrade and organic coffees worth it?

Fairtrade, organically grown coffee is everywhere these days. But is fair trade and organic coffee really worth it?
Generally speaking: Yes – especially if it's traded as directly as possible. Even though various Fairtrade products have recently fallen into disrepute, the idea behind fairly traded, sustainably produced coffee remains valid and important.

What is Fairtrade?

Fairtrade is probably the best-known certification initiative of its kind. The global organization operates with strict regulations for intermediaries, importers and exporters, and advocates for fair prices for the benefit of farmers and producers at the bottom of the production chain.
A high, stable price level is significantly easier for small cooperatives to manage than the unpredictably fluctuating coffee prices of the world market. Coffee and other products that meet these guidelines bear the well-known blue-green seal.

What does the organic certification stand for?

The organic certificate is a seal of approval that guarantees the customer, through a symbol on the packaging, that the coffee was produced without chemical fertilizers or pesticides and instead through organic farming.
Especially in the producing countries, strong pesticides and herbicides pose a significant danger to small farmers and workers, who are often exposed to the carcinogenic substances without protection.
In Germany, the strict EU organic label is the most widespread. It is monitored by various organizations worldwide. Only products containing at least 95% coffee grown according to EU organic standards may be labelled with the EU organic label.

Rainforest Alliance

Organic and Fairtrade products have recently faced not only praise but also criticism. Both have increasingly focused on the mass market, and their methods and criteria are not always transparent enough to fully understand the benefits for people at the poorest end of the coffee cycle.

The Rainforest Alliance aims to set a positive example. With its seal, it not only guarantees a certain quality, but above all promotes sustainability in the producing countries through the further education of farmers.

Unlike other certification initiatives, the Rainforest Alliance does not pay guaranteed prices to producers. Instead, it shows people, through training and active support, how they can compete independently on the global market through sustainable agriculture.
Strict environmental guidelines and a return to balanced mixed cropping systems achieve both sustainable environmental protection and productive farming without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
Native animal species also benefit from the natural habitats created in this way, which offer genuine sustainable added value for the environment, people and coffee cultivation.

GEPA fair+

GEPA was formed in 1975 from a collaboration between the Church Development Service (KED), Misereor and the newly founded Working Group of Third World Shops.

GEPA introduced the first organic coffee in Germany in 1986.

In 1990, GEPA campaigned at the international level with organic farming associations to ensure that fair living and working conditions became an integral part of organic farming – with success!
Naturland's guidelines now include not only ecological but also social criteria.

In 1997, GEPA received an award for its aluminum-free coffee packaging. Innovation, design, and environmental compatibility were evaluated.

This list of successes could go on almost indefinitely. GEPA has set its own high standards, far exceeding the requirements of conventional quality seals.
On its new product packaging, GEPA is therefore placing its own logo front and center as the brand, largely foregoing the Fairtrade seal. With the additional "fair+" label, it highlights its pioneering work and its goal of exceeding the general Fairtrade criteria.

What is Direct Fairtrade?

Everyone's talking about it these days – the new, direct Fairtrade. But what does that actually mean? And how does this approach differ from traditional Fairtrade? Is direct trade really fairer?

No comparison

Since direct trade coffees are generally expensive, they are usually associated with specialty coffees. Direct trade often allows for unambiguous identification of the specific plantation from which the beans originate, explaining their unique flavor profile and characteristics. Therefore, direct trade is not in direct competition with the Fairtrade logo in most cases, as the coffees fall into entirely different price categories.

And what is best?

In short: Direct Fairtrade. You can only be truly certain about how your coffee is produced if you know exactly where it comes from. Globalization allows us, now more than ever, to learn about our coffee.

Direct Fairtrade is coffee trading without intermediaries. Numerous small cooperatives and smallholder farmers benefit from a direct relationship with the roastery, eliminating the need for costly middlemen. The chances of promoting sustainability on a small scale and preventing environmental damage are significantly greater here, as the farmers receive above-average prices for their coffee and can therefore afford environmental protection more easily than many farmers living on the brink of survival.

Germany, too, is now trying to contribute to Direct Fairtrade. In 2007, coffee taxes were reduced or completely abolished for selected developing countries. For example, Solino coffee is roasted in its country of origin, Ethiopia, and reaches our markets through direct, fair trade. The already well-known Orangutan Coffee is another successful coffee promotion project.

Although Direct Fairtrade is not an official certification, it represents a serious commitment by all involved. Traceability is key to the sustainable support of producers. Therefore, the best approach is to buy coffee where you truly know its origin.