Coffee has been an important part of history of pioneering Fairtrade.
Coffee prices were at a 30-year low in 2003 and farmers were struggling to afford to grow coffee. That’s when we decided to switch our entire own brand range to Fairtrade – a first for any retailer. We’ve since supported thousands of smallholder coffee farmers by funding programmes in Kenya and Brazil.
Evelyn Njiraini, a coffee farmer at Mutira Farmers’ Co-operative Society in Kenya shares how they are being impacted by climate change and how Co-op and Fairtrade have supported them with these challenges.
Jorge Hernan, community leader and owner of El Diamante (The diamond) farm in Aguadas, Colombia is a coffee grower who has been a member of the Cooperativa de Caficultores de Aguadas for over 20 years. He’s shared his experiences of being a Fairtrade coffee grower.
“The health services are really good. We have several doctors here at the co-operative and so, through the Fairtrade Premium programme funding, they help us.”
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing farmers and workers in global supply chains and has the potential of deepening the vulnerability and poverty context of thousands of farmers and workers. In our supply chain, coffee farmers are highly sensitive to changing weather patterns which is affecting production, yields and incomes.
In 2021, we announced our new partnership with Fairtrade Africa (FTA) – as a leading UK investor and partner in driving forward the Producer Network’s climate strategy over the next 3 years, ensuring a farmer-centric approach to adapting to and mitigating the very worst effects of climate change and channelling funding to areas of greatest need. As the first UK retailer to invest in FTA’s climate strategy, the Fairtrade Alliance for Climate Smart Supply Chains in Africa (FACSCA), we are working with 12 at-risk producer organisations in tea, coffee, and flower supply chains to take meaningful action against climate change for the security of their own livelihoods, environments and protecting the futures of key commodities for the long-term benefit of us all. Find out more by clicking here.
