Coffee is big business - it's one of the most heavily
traded commodities in the world. But for the majority of small coffee
farmers, the benefits are small. The chain of events that leads from
the coffee farm to your cup is long, often leaving the farmer with very
little to live on.
Most small coffee farmers live in isolated communities in some of the
poorest countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Cut off from
markets, they usually sell their coffee through middlemen, known to
Central American farmers as "coyotes." With world prices in constant
flux and coyotes offering the lowest price possible, farmers never know
how much they'll get for their crops.
Some 20 million people living near the equator depend on
coffee for their livelihood. In their struggle just to make a simple
living, the producers of a rich crop are often trapped in poverty. In
recent years, a crisis in the world coffee market has meant that many
farmers typically receive less than the cost of production for their
beans.
But there is an alternative: FAIR TRADE. Fair trade shares the
bounty of the coffee trade with those who grow the crop, helping them
build a better future for themselves and their communities.
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Interfaith Program 
