In general, expect to give up a little piece of your rock if you commit to buying Fair Trade (henceforth known as FT) coffee. The cha-ching factor can be significant, especially if you find a particular brand that you like. But, the good news is, as demand increases, availability, quality, and deals, are also increasing.My modus operandi for purchasing coffee: I keep a few bags of Java Trading Company FT Sumatra and decaf Sumatra on hand. I purchase this through Amazon.com. It is fairly priced and you get free shipping if your order is over $25. Beyond this, I look for deals at the local grocer and on-line. For example, there was a dollar coupon for Green Mountain Coffee in my local paper a few weeks ago. I used it to buy a 10 oz bag of Newman’s Own Organic FT, which also happened to be on sale. Final cha-ching factor: $4.99 (a $2 savings over list price). Of course, we use 2 bags of this on a slow week!

I have become conservative about exploring unknown brands. This was after stumbling upon what we felt was a particularly awful brand that we had to throw away. I would suggest trying a small sampling of any unknowns before stocking up.

In addition to The Java Trading Company, providers of FT coffee which we enjoy include:

• Equal Exchange (the On-Line Store)
• Green Mountain
• Green Mountain: Newman’s Own Organics (Don’t you just love the Newmans?)

For an additional variety of FT offerings, check out theFair Trade On-Line Store at Global Exchange. Many of these brands can also be found at your local grocery store.

Our next adventure into the land of unknown coffee will be strong>Dean’s Beans. It is very reasonably priced, and I have enjoyed it at a local cafe here in town. I will post a review after we’ve tried it at home.

If you are not familiar with the concept of FT products in general, learning about FT coffee is a good place to start. Equal Exchange, a provider of FT coffees, teas, and chocolate, gives a clear and concise explanation “from beans to cup”, and how making a commitment to purchase fairly traded products brings us all one step closer to creating a sustainable planet for all.
If you would like to see an explanation of FTC from Global Exchange that made the hair ever so slightly stand up on the back of my neck, but is informative, see this link.

Other notes:

UTZ Certified” (known by its critics as “Fair Trade-Light” ) is another form of global certification starting to be seen in the market. More on this, and other types of FT certifications, in future postings. Also, look for future postings for coupons and on-line deals for both of these types of certified coffees.

Finally, sometimes I give FT gifts at the holidays. It eases my conscience a little while I am tearing through my presents….sigh. For me, it’s all about balance, though.

Related Posts

• April 12, 2008 -- Is Fair Trade Coffee About Profit, Politics or People? (5)
• April 5, 2008 -- Amazon Deals on Earth Friendly & Organic Products (1)
• April 18, 2008 -- Big Sale at PBS On-Line Store, Plus Some Organic Deals and Strategies (1)
• May 13, 2008 -- Healthy Food on the Cheap (4)
• March 28, 2008 -- “Found Object Meals” and Other Eating Tips for the Frugal (2)