I bought some fair trade coffee at coffee culture and couldn't sleep all night. It was like truckers coffee. The girl at the shop told me fair trade is coffee bought from smaller farms at a price they can afford to operate on without being out competed by the big corporations and these farmers practice better environmental practices.

I went to Sobies and bought some which was indeed quite pricey but wow was it good. It was called kickass coffee and pretty much gave the same description of fair trade on the package. I've since bought a box of fair trade packets pre measured for the coffee makers in restaurants but it tastes lame, not the same at all.

I was just wondering is this fair trade a well monitored business ring or has it been taken advantage of already? There seems to be quite a variation of flavours out there and I'm hoping it's not just another gimmick. There should be a local fair trade brand and we should be willing to pay for locally grown and ripened fruit over the cheaper picked by slaves and fuel ripened on a truck fruits and vegetables. Guess that's why we have the farmers markets.

There are actual cafes that specialize in "fair trade." The concept has grown out of the activism of people like Chico Mendes, a rubber tapper in Brazil who fought to get his industry back to the grass roots. He was assassinated for his efforts, but it started a groundswell of similar movements.

Fairtrade is regulated by an international NGO that sets standards and oversees the program. Fairtrade certified goods must bear the logo below:



I know Wikipedia is hardly an authoritative source, but their article on the subject is actually fairly good.

Fairtrade

YES you will be giving the farmer a fair shake by going to the market. The chains buy cheap, not necessarily good or healthy, produce from around the world. That said, not all vendors at the farmers market are farmers any longer. Many are jobbers who buy up surpluses from the Food Terminal or crop surpluses and flip it at market. Look for farm plates on the truck at an outdoor stall.

Well I know your safe in the Stevensville market Bruce. This gal is a real enviro and only allows organic produce and she does a good job checking out the vendors. I'm no vegetarian earth nut but I do realize the local guy needs to be able to compete and having a local food source is as important as being able to grow or harvest your own. I think this girl has a good model other small town markets should look at.

As for fair trade what are the chances this NGO could be infiltrated by the big guys and turned into a huge enterprise that strays from it's mandate like some of the NGO's around here (NEC )?

Wow....I thought farm markets were all local produce . Too bad the big corporates can buy out or price out the little guy ,but that has been going on for decades . I hope the barter system & under the table deals flourish well in the future . We make fun of the "veggie" people out there , but I'll be the first to admit the world would be a much healthier planet if we "canned" meat . I believe we consume too much meat which is laden with chemicals of all sorts . Chilli.....if the coffee is too strong , make it weaker ,water is cheap ,ha ha ! But don't be surprised to see that brand disappear or bought out by the big boys . Look at the beer companies.....or a famous U.S. brand name like DeWalt who made good quality drills that are now made in China , and they are junk now. So even brand names mean nothing these days . Read the labels on your food !!

note:....I like bananas !

Sounds like some hippie crap.

What part of it sounds hippie Perkuns. I was thinking the exact opposite. I was worried they use the lable to ask us for as fair price so the little guys wouldn't be put out of business and then hire kids to get it to the store after mixing it in with cheaper corporate product and still asking for the fair trade price. I wonder if there is a percentage of smaller farms that is mandatory or if they all receive the same amount of money for their goods. If corporates are allowed to sell to them and still receive the fair trade price then it won't work. Rich wil still keep on getting richer.

The Fair Trade organizations work a bit like a union and a bit like a buying group. They buy directly from the farmers and process the produce themselves either in their own facilities or in co-op facilities. They cut out most of the "middle men" that the big corporations deal with, but instead of passing the savings on to the consumer (which is what the big guns do), they make sure that the farmers get a fair cut. That way, the end users (us) don't get it any cheaper (sometimes it costs a bit more), but there aren't as many hands grabbing a chunk on the way to our kitchens.

I can understand your concerns that corporate interests might try to horn in, but I think that may be a ways off. Total market share for free trade produce is quite small and the end products aren't really competing with the big guys (yet).