Last week, I attended an interesting and insightful documentary at the Labia courtesy of FairTrade and While You Were Sleeping.
It shed light on the fair trade industry and the massive coffee conglomerates. It was a bit of a shell shock to see, in total, how much the coffee industry produces, yet the coffee farmers, the actual producers of this freshly roasted, aromatic coffee, receive so little. Cooperatives have been formed to better resolve this issue as often, the middle man (traders, buyers, brokers) force themselves into these trading relationships and take a large percentage of the money being transferred to and fro. The cooperatives allows for more transparency as it’s an organized body that allows you to purchase straight from the farmer.
One of the things that struck a chord with me is how the economy produces what the consumer wants. I’m also at fault, but if I were to demand for this ONE type of coffee, eventually, the supplier would have to supply it. He/she wants what I want. So, ultimately (and fortunately) it’s in the hands of the consumer.
Okay, looking at this area, I found that there is one fair-trade coffee roaster in South Africa (Bean There). So, we have little to choose from, but with enough demand, the supply will get bigger and bigger. So, long story short – just ask, and ye shall receive!
I realized (even more so) how instrumental trade/exporting was in the economic development of a community. From the documentary, I learned a staggering fact.
Africa, as a continent, comprises of 1% of the total global market. Increasing this involvement by 1 point (to 2%) would increase in-country revenue by 70 billion USD (5X the amount of annual foreign aid).
So not only does it pump more money (rightfully acquired and earned by locals), but it provides more jobs, and increases vocational, sustainable skills. It wins on all levels.
Though the documentary is a bit outdated, it’s extremely insightful. I’d watch it from a birds-eye view, and relate it more to the overall fair-trade market, rather than just the coffee industry, because essentially, the same theory and criticisms could be applied to tea, cotton, and wine, just to name a few.
The name is Black Gold, check it out, and let us know your thoughts!
Watch trailer here:
