Look for the Fairtrade Mark on a product’s packaging to be sure it’s actually Fairtrade certified.
Fairtrade
Just like greenwashing, “social responsibility washing” is a real problem. It can persuade shoppers to purchase products that they believe were created ethically when in fact they were not.
Fair trade (two words) or fairly traded is a general term referring to many things—it could be ethical trade, the fair trade movement, or fair trade products. However, unlike a protected term like Bird Friendly®, “fair trade” is not a protected term—so any product can be called fair trade, even when no reasonable person would consider it traded fairly.
By contrast the Fairtrade mark (the combined single word Fairtrade with the fairtrade symbol) means that the product was produced under rigorous, well defined social standards.
Direct trade
Direct trade is a form of sourcing practiced by certain coffee roasters, chocolate makers, tea sellers, gemologists and more who build direct relationships with the farmers, artisanal miners and processors who sell their products.[1] There is no single set of direct trade standards, and specific trade practices vary as a reflection of business and ethical priorities of the roaster or maker.[2] Generally speaking, however, direct trade practitioners view their model as one of mutually-beneficial and transparent trade relationships.[3]
As the term “Direct Trade” has become more widely known, so has it’s use: some coffee importers label themselves as direct trade importers. Some roasters bristle at this definition, claiming that if there is an intermediary, it is not direct trade. However, since the phrase is not protected, there are not restrictions to using it this way.
Our trade
Our aim is to support the growers and their workers who provide homes for our migratory songbirds while cultivating our delicious coffee!
We use trusted Direct Trade Importers. These importers offer an alternative supply chain to global commodities markets. They focus on coffee quality: they cultivate and maintain long term relationships with growers and reward them for best growing practices. In so doing, growers who offer excellent coffee through Direct Trade importers are assured long term market stability not available in the commodities market.
Direct Trade Importers also hold various certifications such as Bird Friendly, Organic and Fairtrade.
All of our coffee is purchased through trusted Direct Trade Importers. This allows us to focus on roasting while the Direct Trade importers specialize in the logistics of moving coffee in ways that preserve its quality and maintains the tracability required by its certifications. Our importers, and by extension our growers, have come to know that we will purchase our core coffees year over year.
Most of our coffees are certified Fairtrade, but if we find a brilliant Bird Friendly coffee that is not certified Fairtrade, we ensure that the trading conditions are fair by our judgement* and offer it without the Fairtrade mark.
* The coffee is certified Bird Friendly and organic, price is above the Fairtrade minimum, and the grower is either a family farm or a co-operative.