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Coffee – many of us can’t imagine our mornings without it. However, since coffee has become such a hot commodity, the supply chains working to accommodate for our demand aren’t always very ethical or sustainable.
Conventional coffee beans are usually produced in tropical areas, where rainforests need to be cut down to make space for plantations. Additionally, an array of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers or fungicides is used to increase yield, leading to these chemicals being released into the surrounding environment. This is dangerous to both aquatic life and the people living downstream from farms.
Coffee production also frequently involves the use of forced labour or child labour. Aside from this, workers are often exposed to pesticides and other chemicals without any protection and other health hazards.
It goes without saying that, unless you want to quit coffee for good, you’ll want to look for a more ethical and sustainable coffee option. One great solution is Fairtrade coffee. For this article, we’ve put together a list of our top 10 Fairtrade coffee brands to give you your morning fix without all the ethical and environmental drawbacks of your regular cup.
Ethics | USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified
Location | New York City, NY (USA)
Where To Buy | In stores in NYC and online
If you’re a cold brew coffee kind of person, Wandering Bear Coffee may just become your new favourite. Along with single-serving cold brews, they also offer cold brew on tap, which is a great way to ensure you always have fresh and smooth ready in the morning. Recently, they also just started offering coffee pods, if you prefer to make your coffee at home, in your own brewer.
If you’re not happy with their product, they offer a 100% money-back guarantee on all purchases. As a cherry on top, all their packaging is fully recyclable.
Ethics | Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, organic
Location | London, UK
Where to Buy | Online
Named after the stubborn and hard-working animal traditionally used to transport coffee beans from high-altitude farms to low-lying lands, Grumpy Mule celebrates the origins of coffee while being uncompromising about their ethics and sustainability. Adding this clever edgy branding on top of amazing sustainable and ethical coffee has certainly worked on us!
The brand shares that since it was founded in 2006, it’s been fighting bad coffee – unethical, unsustainable and poorly tasting options available on supermarket shelves. They are stepping up the standards of the industry in every step of production. They also pay careful attention to the roasting process, which helps ensure every batch is just as great as the next and helps reduce production waste.
Ethics | Fairtrade, organic, shade-grown, family-owned, climate action
Location | Eugene, Oregon (USA)
Where to Buy | Online
Most conventional coffee nowadays is grown in the sun to speed up the process and increase yield, which leads to rainforests being cut down to make space for plantations. Café Mam, on the other hand, goes back to the ways things used to be done in the coffee industry and grows its coffee in the shade of the rainforest. This prevents deforestation, maintains the traditional growing method and provides more pleasant conditions for workers.
The company works with Mayan farmers from Chiapan highlands and offers them safe and fair working conditions under the Fairtrade label. In fact, the brand is also named after the Mam – a subgroup of the Maya nation!
Café Mam is also working to prevent climate change in an industry that traditionally has a high carbon footprint. In 2019, the brand has implemented a Climate Change Mitigation Fund, which helps fight climate change in the areas where their coffee is produced.
Ethics | Fairtrade, organic
Location | Easton, MD (USA)
Where to Buy | Online, cafes throughout Maryland
This independent Fairtrade coffee brand from Maryland roasts its coffee in small batches, to ensure the quality stays as high as possible. In the 15 years since its founding, the brand has expanded to cater to a worldwide clientele, but they still offer their coffee in a number of cafes in their home state Maryland.
Aside from coffee and tea, the company also offers a customisable coffee club membership, so that you always have your favourite Fairtrade coffee ready to be made in the morning.
Ethics | Fairtrade, B-corp, gives back up to 50% of profits
Location | London, UK
Where to Buy | Online
This UK brand goes above and beyond the standards of Fairtrade to make its coffee one of the most sustainable and ethical options on the market today. Cafédirect is the UK’s first coffee company to be certified as a B-corp! Aside from improving their own supply chains, up to half of the profits of this sustainable coffee brand go to Producers Direct – a UK charity working to improve the working and living standards of coffee farmers worldwide. To date, this partnership has translated into over £6 million used to improve farmers’ livelihoods.
They support small farms and suppliers, to help them grow and give them access to the worldwide market. This Fairtrade coffee brand communicates directly with its suppliers and cuts out the middlemen, to make the relationship as transparent and straightforward as possible. Many of their producers also own share in the company, which allows them to grow side by side.
Last but not least, this Fairtrade coffee has also been awarded many a Great Taste award, which only goes to prove that sustainable coffee farming also reflects on the flavour.
Ethics | Fairtrade, organic, shade-grown, gives back
Location | Tukwila, WA (USA)
Where to Buy | Online
Pura Vida, similarly to some other brands on this list, recognises the importance of preserving rainforests as natural habitats and farms its coffee in its shade. Pura Vida was one of the first brands ever to start selling Fairtrade certified coffee in the US and it’s been growing ever since, also gaining the organic and shade-grown certifications in the process.
This Fairtrade coffee company considers its environmental footprint through every step of the process and also gives back through its own Create Good Foundation, helping children in at-risk areas and supporting organisations doing the same.
Ethics | Fairtrade, organic, shade-grown
Location | Leeds, AL (USA)
Where to Buy | Online, cafes throughout Alabama
Higher ground is another brand that grows its coffee beans in the shade of the rainforest, preventing deforestation. All of this brand’s coffee is exclusively organic and Fairtrade, to maintain a high environmental and social standard. This coffee brands values are reflected throughout the whole production process, considering sustainability and ethics every step of the way.
The Fairtrade coffee company supports the rights of small independent farms, as well as setting a higher industry standard for coffee production. The brand is also taking important steps to become carbon neutral – it offsets its energy usage and uses renewable power whenever possible. They also plan on expanding their sustainability efforts as the business keeps growing in the upcoming years.
Ethics | Fairtrade, organic
Location | Thornton, CO (USA)
Where to Buy | Online, at Whole Foods
Allegro Coffee believes in the impact the coffee growing process has on the taste of the final product – that’s why they avoid the use of toxic chemicals on their plantations and promote other sustainable organic growing methods, which has earned them the organic certification. They also work hard to ensure all workers in their supply chains are awarded fair pay and spend their time in safe working conditions.
This is another brand that’s very easily accessible across the US, as you’ll find it at Whole Foods stores nationwide.
Ethics | Fairtrade, gives back to support youth, POC owned
Location | Des Moines, IA (USA)
Where to Buy | Online, from retailers such as Target and Whole Foods
With a mission to make purpose popular, this POC owned brand stands for ethically produced sustainable coffee and support for disadvantaged youth. The Fairtrade coffee brand donates to initiatives supporting youth programming, enhancing workforce development, and eradicating youth homelessness. Thanks to their availability at stores like Whole Foods or Target, they’re one of the easiest brands to access if you’re in the US.
If you’re a regular coffee drinker, you can also sign up for a regular subscription to ensure you never run out of delicious Fairtrade coffee.
Ethics | Fairtrade, organic, B-corp, Fair For Life certified, family-owned
Location | Richmond, British Columbia (Canada)
Where to Buy | Online, in selected stores and cafes throughout Canada
This family-owned Canadian coffee brand has been Fairtrade since 1998 and Fair For Life certified since 2012, guaranteeing ethical treatment of all people in the supply chains, every step of the way. All of their coffee is also grown organically, to protect the ecosystems of the rainforest and the health of local communities.
By combining ethics, sustainability and great taste, this family-owned brand has now expanded to cater to client across the world.
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