FAQ's

Sections:  Cooperative Coffees    Trading Partners     Coffee Industry     Fair Trade      Organics

Cooperative Coffees

• How can I join the Cooperative?  CC accepts around one to three new members a year. Read more about the application process if you are interested in pursuing membership.
• Can I Order as a Non-member?  Yes, if we have the coffee you want available.  Please contact us for availabilities and further details.
• How do you determine a fair price for coffee? The word "fair" can mean a lot of different things to different people. In alternative trade organizations, "fair trade" means that trading partnerships are based on reciprocal benefits and mutual respect; that prices paid to producers reflect the work they do; that workers have the right to organize; that national health, safety, and wage laws are enforced; and that products are environmentally sustainable and conserve natural resources.   For CC, producers have some say in the negotiation of the price.  We allow for open contracts, meaning they can decide when to fix the price of the coffee when the terms are most agreeable to them.  
• What is a cooperative?  A co-op is an organization that is collectively owned by its members.  Therefore, members have a vested interest in the survival of the cooperative.  Coop Coffees is owned by its roaster members and is run by its governing Board of Directors and volunteer committees.
  

Trading Partners (Producers)

• How does CC choose a new trading partner?  Members of CC can propose new producers and the information is presented to the Green Committee for review.  New producers are considered based on demand of coffee from that area, quality of coffee, political situations, and other practical issues related to the importing of coffee.
• Will you make arrangements for me to visit a producer cooperative?  We will certainly be glad to give you our recommendations of which producers have the capacity and capability of hosting visitors.  Arrangements need to be made directly with the producers. 
• Who are the current Trading Partners? Read more about them on our Trading Partners page. 

Coffee Industry

• Where do you buy your coffee from?  Our coffees come from a number of different producers.  Read more about the countries and cooperatives where the coffee is grown.
• What is the minimum price?   According to Fairtrade International (FLO), the minimum price per pound of coffee as of 2011 is $1.70.  On top of that, all fair trade transactions must add a 20-cent "social premium" and if it's certified organic, a 30-cent organic premium.  Cooperative Coffees along with other like-minded importers have historically paid a higher minimum price than what Fairtrade Certified requires, believing that the true costs of production -- which fair trade should cover, at the very least -- are actually higher than what FLO has set as a minimum.
  
• What is a green bean?  Coffee berries are harvest, pulped from the outside cherry, dried, hulled, and cleaned, resulting in the raw material (a green bean) which is exported from producer countries, imported to consumer countries, and roasted.  The process of roasting caramelizes the oils and sugars, turning the green to the familiar brown color most are familiar with. 
  
• How many pounds of beans are in a bag of coffee? Most Latin American coffees are shipped in 152.12 pound (69 kilo) bags. Most Asian and African coffees are shipped in 132.28 pound (60 kilo) bags. Colombian and Bolivian coffees are shipped in 154.32 pound (70 kilo) bags.
  

Fair Trade

• What is Fair Trade? Fair Trade is an alternative way of doing business - one that builds equitable, long-term partnerships between consumers and producers. Fair Trade is based on seven principles as quoted by the Fair Trade Federation (FTF),: Fair wages, cooperative workplaces, consumer education, environmental sustainability, financial and technical support, respect for cultural identity and public accountability.
• Is all fair trade coffee labeled fair trade certified?  No.  We work with many producers who are in the process of being  certified by the Fairtrade Labeling Organiation (FLO).  Although the coffee they produce is fairly  traded, their goods cannot be offically labeled "fair trade" until they are licensed.  By working with these small cooperatives, we assist them in their process to becoming FLO certified.
• What other fair trade products are available? In North America, Fair Trade products have been primarily craft products - decorative home accessories, jewelry, textiles, ceramics, etc. Fairly traded coffee, tea and chocolate are also available. In the European market, Fair Trade provides both crafts and commodities, such as bananas, and honey.
• What is the difference between labels? The FTF logo identifies the company is a member committed to partnering with economically disadvantaged artisans and producers to improve their living conditions through fairer terms of trade. The Fair Trade Certified label certifies products, not companies. The Transfair logo simply indicates that the packaged product was purchased from the producer under what FLO defines as Fairtrade criteria. It does not certify the company’s commitment to Fair Trade principles nor does it indicate that a certain minimum percentage of the company’s products are Fair Trade certified. Many companies use a few token Fair Trade items as a marketing tool to give the impression of being a fair trade company. So, we encourage supporters who are interested in supporting fair traders to "Look beyond the Label".
• Why is it so expensive? Fair trade coffee does appear more expensive than grocery store coffee but it is comparable to other non-fair trade gourmet coffees. The difference is the producers receive a significant price more per pound because the large percentage taken by middle people is removed from the equation. For traditional handi-crafts, the cost appears more because hand-made crafts cannot compare with mass-produced factory made products, regardless of the quality, environmental impact, or working conditions of the employees.  
  

Organic

• What is organic coffee? Strictly speaking, "organic coffee" means that all production practices involved in are free of pesticides or other chemically-based solutions to natural problems. Organic methods focus on developing healthy soil through composting, terracing, and inter-cropping. Organic farmers utilize all-natural (non-chemical/non-synthetic) pest control. They incorporate shaded trees and various other sustainable agricultural tools for the health of their coffee trees.  In general, "organic" implies that any and all production practices contribute to the sustainability of the soil, water and ecosystem with and within which the coffee grows.
• Is all organic coffee Fair Trade Certified? No, organic refers solely to the way in which the coffee is grown.  It does not have anything to do with the trading relationship. All the producers that CC works with are organic certified or transitioning to become organic certified.
• Why do we choose to import organic coffee? Organic products are natural and healthy, therefore the taste is not compromised with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In addition, since many chemicals jeopardize the environment we live in you are also stopping further environmental degradation and helping nature get back to sustaining itself. Plus, organic products taste better because they are grown naturally.