Fairtrade certification guarantees producers a minimum price per pound, plus a social premium paid to the co-operative for community projects.
What it does well
A price floor. When the commodity market — the C price — falls below the cost of production, as it repeatedly does, Fairtrade’s minimum protects certified farms from selling at a loss.
That matters. Coffee price crashes have driven farmers off their land.
Co-operative organisation. Certification requires democratic structures, which builds bargaining power.
Its limits
It is a floor, not a quality mark. Nothing about the certification says the coffee is good, and plenty of Fairtrade coffee is commodity grade.
Only co-operatives can certify. Individual estates cannot, which excludes many excellent producers.
Certification costs money, paid by the co-operative, which is a burden for the smallest.
The floor is often below specialty prices. A roaster paying three times the C price for an 87-point lot is paying far more than Fairtrade requires, without the certification.
Direct trade
The specialty alternative: roasters buying straight from producers at negotiated prices, usually well above both the C price and the Fairtrade floor. Unregulated, so it depends on the roaster’s honesty — but transparency reports are increasingly common.
What to look for
A roaster who publishes what they paid. That tells you more than any logo.
Last reviewed 8 August 2026