Dixie's Roasting Co.

How fair is your Fair Trade?

At Dixie’s Roasting Co. we know the exact farm/co-op where the coffee was grown. We know the people, the processes, and we know where the money is being sent and how it’s being used. We also know that “all” of the coffee in our bags is 100% single-origin! Meaning 100% of that coffee came from its origin. There are no advertising commissions or policing being done, and other coffee company’s advertise fair trade – when it could likely be 10% fair trade, and the other 90% is what or from where – and you don’t know. At Dixie’s we guarantee our coffee is 100% single-origin and most importantly, delicious!

What is Fair Trade Certification?

Fair Trade certification is a market-based model of international trade that benefits over one million farmers and farm workers in 58 developing countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Fair Trade Certification enables consumers to vote for a better world with their dollars, simply by looking for the Fair Trade Certified label on the products they buy.

Fair Trade Certified agricultural products including coffee, tea and herbs, cocoa and chocolate, fresh fruit, sugar, rice and spices (vanilla) are currently available at over 35,000 retail establishments in the U.S.

Fair Trade empowers farmers and farm workers to lift themselves out of poverty by developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace. By guaranteeing minimum floor prices and social premiums, Fair Trade enables producers to invest in their farms and communities and protect the environment, but Fair Trade is much more than a fair price.

Fair Trade principles include:

Fair prices: Democratically organized farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products. Farmer organizations are also eligible for pre-harvest credit.

Fair labor conditions: Workers on Fair Trade farms enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions and living wages. Forced child labor is strictly prohibited..

Direct trade: Importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to strengthen their organizations and become competitive players in the global economy.

Democratic and transparent organizations: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers decide democratically how to use their Fair Trade revenues.

Community development: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship programs, quality improvement trainings and organic certification.

Environmental sustainability: The Fair Trade certification system strictly prohibits the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), promotes integrated farm management systems that improve soil fertility, limits the use of harmful agrochemicals in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers' health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations.

Fair Trade is brimming with Benefits

Fair Trade helps family farmers in developing countries to gain direct access to international markets, as well as to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace. By learning how to market their own harvests, Fair Trade farmers are able to bootstrap their businesses and receive a fair price for their products including your morning brew.

Today's historic lows in world coffee prices have created a crisis for millions of farmers around the world. Most small-scale family farmers live in remote locations and are dependent on local middlemen (known as "coyotes" in Latin America) to purchase their coffee, often at a fraction of its worth. Fair Trade guarantees farmers a set minimum price for their coffee and links farmer-run cooperatives directly with US importers, cutting out middlemen and creating the conditions for long-term sustainability. To see how the Fair Trade Route compares to the Conventional Trade Route, click here >.

Through Fair Trade, farmers and their families are earning a better income for their hard work-allowing them to hold on to their land, keep their kids in school and invest in the quality of their harvest, so they can continue to grow excellent quality coffee for your morning brew.

Are Fair Trade Certified products also certified organic?

Fair Trade standards require sustainable farming techniques and offer price premiums for organic production, but Fair Trade certification does not guarantee that a product was organically grown.

However, Fair Trade farmers are more likely to use sustainable, traditional growing methods rather than apply (expensive) agrochemicals and producer groups frequently use Fair Trade revenues to train members in environmentally sustainable farming practices and to finance the cost of organic certification.

Fair Trade and organic certification often go hand in hand. Currently, over 60% of Fair Trade Certified coffee in the U.S. is also certified organic.