The latest Fairtrade Global Impact Report has recently been released, which covers the sourcing that Fair. Coffee undertook during the 2023 reporting period, and the incredible impact it made for farmers and workers.
In total, we helped 203,720 coffee growing farmers across 16 producer organisations in 8 different growing regions (Honduras, Dominican Republic, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea & Timor Leste).
This resulted in us sourcing the equivalent of almost 11 million cups worth of coffee on Fairtrade terms, with a Fairtrade Premium paid. The Fairtrade Premium is the additional amount paid on top of the Fairtrade minimum price that cooperatives then choose how to invest back into their communities, allowing them to take control of their own futures.
To see how the Fairtrade Premium can make a real difference once invested back into the community, let’s take a look at one producer organisation as an example…
Producer Organisation in Focus: Oromia Region, Ethiopia.
A Fairtrade member organisation since 2003, Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (OCFCU) is committed to improving the livelihoods of its members by ensuring fair prices, sustainable practices, and community development. The cooperative emphasises empowering farmers, particularly marginalised groups like women and youth, by providing them with training, resources, and market access.
OCFCU invest about 75% of their Fairtrade Premium on quality and productivity projects to constantly produce better coffee and financial outcomes for their members. They also invest heavily on social projects in education, health, infrastructure and community facilities for the betterment of the wider community and region.
Due to the Fairtrade Premiums, and support from coffee roasters, more than 365 different projects have been completed and provided to the farmers.
Some individual project examples include:
In partnership with the Horn of Africa Regional Environment Center and Network, OCFCU were able to begin an initiative called ‘Sustainable Clean Energy Access for Rural Women’, to minimise methane emissions due to the breakdown of coffee husks (the outer skin of the coffee cherry, which is removed during processing of beans). The project created a new method of processing coffee husks, turning them into a briquette charcoal- a clean energy solution.
In an effort to improve the livelihood of local communities, and to reduce climate impact, OCFCU distributed improved cooking stoves for more than 8000 coffee farmers. The Fairtrade Premium was also used to inspire residents to reduce their carbon footprint, offering 1 Euro from their Fairtrade Premium for every ton of carbon emission reduction. The installation of these improved cook stoves meant the reduction of 99,115 tons of carbon emission- from the first 5 years of issuance compared with that of the wood fires used previously.
The Fairtrade Premium was also used to set up new coffee and coffee shade seedling nursery sites.
Individual Stories
“FairTrade has definitely helped our community—it has helped us improve our school and water supplies. It has also made a big difference in the price we get for our coffee with the guaranteed payment. We simply want you to buy our coffee at a fair price so we can be independent.”
"Our members have greatly benefited from the profits generated. On top of that, we are now getting technical and financial support that enables us to continue our tradition of excellence. Therefore, Fairtrade membership is very important to our organisation and its members.”
“To me, Fairtrade means a buying and selling process in which humanitarianism has a big part. It is creating a family relationship between peoples who live on this planet.”
As can be seen from the real life examples above, it’s genuinely fair to say that every sip of Fair. coffee makes a real difference, and allows for some justice to be enacted in our often unequal world.
SHOP the range of Fair. Coffee and help make a difference today.