What is fair trade certified coffee?

Fair trade certified coffees are purchased through direct trade from cooperatives (co-ops) or small coffee farmers at a price that reflects a living wage and under trading conditions that are sustainable for producers as well as buyers.

However, ensuring a floor price is just the beginning of what fair trade is about. Improving the quality of life of coffee growers means:

	establishing a long-term commitment between coffee producers and buyers
	encouraging producers who use environmentally-friendly farming methods
	contributing to community development

How does fair trade coffee help farmers?

The increased profits generated from fair trade coffee sales are often used to build or improve processing facilities. The stable price and credit that these coffee farmers receive help them maintain and improve the quality of their coffee.

Coffee co-ops participating in the fair trade movement often offer scholarships for the children of producers so they can learn about the technical side of coffee production and improve the quality and efficiency of their family farms.

Some co-ops, such as CARSBIL in Honduras, offer a training program for all interested coffee growers that covers a wide range of business related courses. Programs are paid for from a percentage of the fair trade coffee sold each year.

Fair trade certified coffees have already led to the:

	foundation of an advanced health centre in the community of Oaxaca, Mexico
	construction of schools and health centres in the community of Esteli, Nicaragua
	financial support of entire families in Costa Rica during recent fluctuations in coffee prices

These are only a few examples of how buying fair trade coffees can affect the lives of coffee-growing families.

Every year, progress is made because more and more socially-conscious coffee drinkers buy fair trade certified coffees, such as Van Houtte's fair trade and organic coffees.

Our fair trade and organic coffees are fair trade certified by TransFair. In concrete terms, this means that Van Houtte:

			pays a minimum price that is higher than the current market price
			purchases coffee from a co-op of small producers
			pays a license fee to TransFair for every pound of coffee sold bearing the TransFair logo

With this fee, TransFair provides third-party monitoring services for the co-op and Van Houtte, thereby assuring customers that coffee producers have received added benefits from the sale of their coffee.

TransFair is the only independent certification organization for fair trade coffee, tea, cocoa and sugar in Canada and the US.

This fair trade certified logo represents an independent certification that monitors the adherence of companies to criteria and standards set out by the Fair Trade Labelling Organizations International (FLO).

FLO's main purpose is to guarantee that all fair trade certified products marketed worldwide conform to fair trade standards in order to contribute to the development of more than 800,000 producers and their dependants in more than 40 countries.