Say no to handouts and yes to giving farmers a hand up this Fairtrade fortnight.

We believe in providing farmers with fair compensation for their produce, so that you can enjoy your cup guilt-free. Fairtrade is all about supporting social and economic development through guaranteed & just pricing for goods, fair treatment of all employees and the promotion of favourable terms of trade.

Around 19 million Australians drink one cup of coffee a day, consuming 37 million kilograms of coffee a year. Thus, coffee is a commodity of high importance to Australian culture, and 23% of us choose to start every morning with their coffee of choice. The coffee industry is one where thousands of people are used, underpaid, and mistreated, with many farmers struggling to make ends meet and living in poverty. As coffee is such an important Australian commodity, it is vital that Australian consumers prioritise shopping from Fairtrade-certified coffee brands.

Every August, Fairtrade Fortnight highlights the difficulties faced by coffee producers around the world. Real stories of the families and communities involved in creating Fairtrade certified products are shared, raising awareness of issues faced in these areas. Fairtrade Fortnight highlights the impacts Fairtrade is having on the communities involved, and how Fairtrade has changed the quality of living within these areas. Each product that carries the Fairtrade classification is a reminder of the communities that have improved their autonomy and quality of life as a result of being paid a fair price. We believe in choosing a world that supports equal rights and provides farmers a hand up to a better quality of life. Through purchasing our products, you are helping to make a difference to the more than 795 thousand farmers our Fairtrade certified coffee supports.

This Fairtrade fortnight, choose the world you want. Choose a world where:

We support equal rights for women.  With access to the Fairtrade premium, co-ops utilize this to gain additional pay and greater work opportunities for women in the regions where our 100% arabica beans are sourced. According to Fairtrade, women grow between 60-80% of the world’s food, yet own less than a quarter of all farms. Those that do own farms do not get access to the same education that male farm owners do, even though international studies have highlighted that equal access to these resources increase female-owned farms production by up to 30%. When we support women, they thrive and that’s one of the reasons we are proudly Fairtrade Certified here at bean ground & drunk.

One of the areas we source our high-quality beans from are Peru. In this region, we are involved with Fairtrade producer organisations like CECANOR. 45% of the farmers involved with CECANOR are women, with two of the cooperatives involved having an equal share of male and female farmers. In 2004, female farmers in Peru approached CECANOR and asked if they could separate their product from the men's, believing their beans to be of higher quality. They were heard, and initiatives were started allowing them to sell their beans separately and reap the rewards of their hard work and higher pay through the Fairtrade operative.

In fact, every system Fairtrade instils are devised to make the world a fairer place, especially for women. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Fairtrade was committed to working towards the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 – gender equality and inclusion. Fairtrade continued to fund gender leadership schools, inspiring and educating female entrepreneurs and managers. Fairtrade provided funding directly to these women, allowing them to start companies and pursue further education to improve their job prospects and earning potentials.

Women deserve to have access to paid employment and should share equally in the fruits of their labour. By supporting Fairtrade, you are supporting the employment of thousands of women, increasing the accessibility of female-oriented community programs, and guaranteeing fairer pay and better working conditions for female workers within this industry.

"45% of the farmers involved with CECANOR are women, with two of the cooperatives involved having an equal share of male and female farmers."

Child labour is a significant issue within the coffee industry. In Brazil, child labour rates were 37% higher and school enrolment rates were 3% lower in regions where coffee was produced. As non-Fairtrade coffee producers only earn around 7-10% of the retail price of coffee, coffee farmers are pressured to remove their children from education to survive. This is devastating, as it means children are deprived of a childhood and the invaluable education that may aid in breaking the poverty cycle.

To help combat this issue, Fairtrade funds the Producer Relief fund to provide accessible healthcare and monetary support for injured or sick workers so that children are not forced to work instead. Fairtrade also runs the Youth Inclusive Monitoring and Remediation program. This program effectively empowers communities to identify and stop child labour through education.

Children should be children, and through buying Fairtrade, you directly support the fight against child labour. Empowering communities, providing services and monetary relief for families and by providing better wages for parents, Fairtrade helps reduce the risks of child labour, allowing children to pursue education and break the cycle.

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The reality is Fairtrade farmers have contributed the least to climate change. However, they feel the effects of climate charge most severely. Fairtrade has many targeted initiatives to assist farmers in adapting to climate change. Included within this are the funding and building of Fairtrade Climate Academies and resilient crops planting programs.

Fairtrade has also worked to mitigate climate change, create water management projects and grown organic production of coffee in Timor-Leste, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji.

As a certified organic coffee label – we believe in sustainability. Through our Fairtrade partners, we have worked to implement sustainable organic practices, built quality storage warehouses to reduce crop losses, funded water analysis for farmers and funded soil analysis. This has reduced environmental impacts, as we can help ensure only land that is arable is cultivated. We have also worked to help educate farmers on climate change and provide equipment and support to maintain sustainable, organic practices.

This means you can enjoy your morning coffee knowing that we value our planet and have chosen to take care of the environment where our beans are produced, guaranteeing arable land and environmental well-being for the generations to come.

Pay should not be subjective, and every worker deserves to be fairly paid for the goods and services they provide. Non-Fairtrade coffee producers can sometimes get as little as 2% of the retail cost of the coffee they produce. Poverty, struggling to survive and the inability to afford quality food and life-saving healthcare are all very real, everyday scenarios for farmers who are not supported by Fairtrade.

Your coffee routine is a vital part of your day. Our Australian coffee culture is sacred to us, we utilise our coffee to catch-up with loved ones, facilitate important business meetings and to form valuable connections with others. Our coffee culture should prioritise consuming coffee that we know does not endorse poverty, child labour and inequality. Fairtrade ensures that everyone is treated fairly.

Everyone is paid what they deserve, and extra money is funnelled into community and wellbeing programs to ensure greater education, better quality of life and accessibility to vital services. We choose to give people a fair deal, as our ingredients are purchased by paying at the very least, a Fairtrade Minimum Price (FMP) - set to cover the sustainable cost of production. If the market price is higher, the FMP will cover this.

Bean Ground & Drunk is proud to be a part of Fairtrade. In Ethiopia, we work with the Oromia Coffee Farmers Collective (OCFC), where over 70% of net profits is given directly to the 90,000 members involved with producing Fairtrade coffee. With most of the funding of the OCFC being targeted towards SDG 2 – Zero World Hunger, we help to ensure that all farmers are treated fairly and can afford food for their families.

Fairtrade helps provide goods to the communities where our beans are produced through the Fairtrade Premium. We pay this sum on top of the FMP to ensure the growth of a communal fund for workers to use as they see fit to improve their social, economic, and environmental conditions.

How you can help.

When you shop, you choose the world you want.

Fairtrade is important to our world; it means we can continue to consume the products we love whilst supporting the fair treatment of those who work hard to bring those products to us. This Fairtrade Fortnight, we at Bean Ground & Drunk empower you to choose the world you want to live in. Support Fairtrade and give farmers a hand up to a better life, rather than relying on them for handouts.

Our Bean Ground & Drunk products are Fairtrade and organic certified, thus by choosing our products, you will support equality, autonomy, and freedom for our beloved coffee producers.

Our 1kg Espresso Coffee is our darker roast, created as our fans wanted a stronger blend. An aroma of earthy bourbon with smoked nuts can be expected, with notes of malt, dark chocolate, and a blackberry finish to taste. Our beans can be found in your local Woolworths, shop online now.

For those of you seeking a lighter roast, our Classic 1kg is also available in Woolworths. Earthy and floral aromas will excite your senses with this blend. A medium roast, our roast is balanced with fresh flavours and a citrus-like aftertaste. Shop online now or click here to see our list of stockists.