Does Fair Trade coffee taste different?
During a radio talk show in Madison last month, a caller asked Bill this question. It pointed out one of the great misconceptions concerning fair trade coffee. We have the same green coffee quality specifications as other specialty roasters the key difference is the trade mechanisms that we use. Conventional coffee travels to an exporter in the growing country then to an importer here, then often to a broker before arriving at the roasters door. In contrast, our coffee is purchased directly from the farmer’s cooperative allowing the farmer to receive a much higher portion of the purchase price. Does this trade system affect the taste? We sure hope so! We feel that we always get comparable and often get better quality coffee than other roasters because we purposely build a direct relationship with the farmers – and provide a financial incentive for them to deliver higher quality. All of our green coffee is also tested and approved by an independent coffee testing laboratory before it is
