Small coffee farmers have to know they can trust fair trade certification organizations like TransFair USA. They also have to trust the companies which buy from them.
By the same token, the companies have to feel they can trust the farmers.
Then the buying public has to know they can trust both the retailers they buy from and the farmers who grow the coffee.
And so on.
Right now the simplest way to establish that trust is to use the existing FTC (fair trade certification) system and display the same FTC logo on coffee bags as everyone else in the system.
However, there are coffee companies like Cafe Campesino and Just Coffee, to name just two, which prefer to practice fair trade outside of that system.
They don’t want have the same FTC logo on their coffees as Starbucks has on theirs. Why not? Because they consider themselves to have a far deeper commitment to fair trade than Starbucks has...and don’t want to use a certification logo which might suggest they are the “same” in any way.
So how can they establish trust between themselves and the farmers they buy from, and with the customers they sell to?
The answer lies in the provision of information. If you want to work outside the mainstream FTC system, you have to inform and educate everyone you are dealing with.
And the communication of that information has to be sincere, honest and genuine. You can’t just say it, you have to be and do it.
Smaller coffee roasters and retailers can do this, I think. They can tell their stories, be heard, and build trust. And those with a true commitment to fair trade coffee will be recognized and heard.
But each and every company has to be aware of the line that divides those who promote fair trade coffee because they believe in it, and those who promote it because to do so seems like a smart marketing strategy.
If you fall into the latter group, the voice and activities of your company will betray you.
As an extreme, and perhaps predictable example, consider the voice and activities of Starbucks.
In this article in USA Today you will get a very clear vision of the kind of company Starbucks has become, and hopes to become.
Now read this short statement by the Chairman of Starbucks, Howard Schultz:
"Our customers have given us permission to extend the experience."
This kind of language means nothing to anyone, other than to fellow marketers who drown themselves in the same kind of industry jargon.
Would I trust anything that Starbucks says about fair trade coffee or fairly traded coffee? Not for an instant. Because I know that every move they make in the direction of fair trade will take place only if it has been shown that it will improve the next quarter’s financial results.
I have no doubt there are individuals within Starbucks who genuinely care about fair trade. But the priorities of the corporation and its investors will always limit what decent employees can do.
Underlying all this is the question every coffee company and roaster selling fair trade coffee will have to face, “Can we trust you?”
We need to recognize that question and address it...whether it comes from a coffee farmer, a customer or others in the industry.
The first step is to provide people with plenty of useful information about what you do and are trying to achieve.
Tell your story, and tell it honestly.
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