If you care about where your coffee comes from, you should consider buying ethical coffee.
Before reaching you, coffee undergoes a long process and passes through many hands to make it the delightful product it is. Despite the booming coffee industry, many hardworking producers go unpaid and exploited by the industry, forcing most of these farmers to search for something more profitable.
In support of these farmers, some coffee shops are now serving ethical coffee.
The coffee industry is actually in the right direction, as you will not find that most coffee brands carry some ethical accreditation.
Why should you consume this ethical coffee? See these compelling reasons below.
It tastes great
Coffee passes through many hands before it reaches the consumer. This can potentially interfere with its quality. However, there are only two steps involved with ethical coffee- from the producer to seller and seller to you. Bypassing all other steps in the middle enhances the quality of the coffee.
It combats climate change
Ethical coffee is sustainable coffee. Sustainable coffee, also known as shade-grown coffee, grows in a forest-like setting, unlike sun-grown coffee. While sun-grown coffee may yield more, shade-grown coffee is ideal for the environment.
With sustainable coffee, the plants are more drought-resistant, can withstand extreme weather events, and are habitat to bird species that eradicate pests.
By consuming ethical coffee, you are directly supporting the kind of farming that is more environmentally friendly and one that has a positive impact on the climate. You are also supporting that coffee farmer who plants other food crops with their coffee so that the family can have something to put on the table.
It’s the future of coffee
As earlier mentioned, exploited coffee farmers are slowly searching for an alternative source of income. This can affect the future of coffee. Coffee farmers need to be paid to afford a decent living, and ethical coffee supports these farmers around the world.
With an improved way of life for the farmers comes more productivity and quality of the coffee. This also ensures that the future of coffee is safe.
It is also an effective way to support the companies that buy from responsible farmers and those that encourage growers and distributors that follow environmentally friendly practices.
You become empowered
When consumers begin to ask about their food source, suppliers also begin to produce food that is more organic.
The same applies to coffee. When you are curious about coffee production, who picked the coffee, and under what conditions, you are empowered. Together with similar consumers, you have immense power to change the coffee industry so that coffee production favors the environment and coffee farmers.
Final thoughts
To uphold the world’s coffee culture, it’s important to support responsible farming and coffee consumption. To ensure that you are buying ethical coffee, look for the “Fair Trade Certified” label, watch out for fancy labels and keep in mind that expensive coffee doesn’t necessarily mean that it is ethical coffee.