Fair Trade is a voluntary program utilized by coffee importers and food companies to create an alternative market for traditionally disadvantaged producers in developing countries, usually small scale farmers. The components include:

• Targeted purchasing of coffee through democratically organized farmer
  cooperatives;
  
• Agreed upon commodity floor prices that provide for a dignified
  livelihood;
  
• Direct exports by producers;
  
• A promise by importers to make affordable credit available to the farmer
  cooperatives;
  
• A world-wide network of non-profit certifying organizations;
  
• A fee paid by importers and wholesalers to cover the cost of
  certification;
  
• A seal that assures consumers that the product was fairly traded.
  

Fair Trade Labeling Organizations International (FLO) in Bonn, Germany handles the certification of production and exports. (www.fairtrade.net)

Transfair USA (www.transfairusa.org) handles the certification of Fair Trade imports and use of the Fair Trade Certified™ label on packaging for the United States.

Your purchase of fairly traded coffee helps build pride, independence and community empowerment for small farmers and their families. A coffee processing plant in El Salvador, community stores in Columbia, the training of doctors in Mexico, reforestation programs in Costa Rica, new schools in Peru - these are examples of initiatives co-ops have taken in their own communities with the income from Fair Trade.