Weavers Way devotes lots of valuable store real estate to coffee, much of it designated Fair Trade. But did you know about this Fair Trade coffee humbly hiding on the bottom shelf? Meet Mt. Hagen Fair Trade Organic instant coffee. 

Fine java’s nuances elude me, but I do care a great deal about buying fairly traded, sustainable and organic products. So Mt. Hagen — named for the original source of Arabica beans for this German company — is good news for me, and for the nearly 50 percent of the world who regularly drink instant coffee. 

For coffee consumers, the Co-op’s maze of options is complex. Most people make coffee purchasing decisions based on personal taste and price. For those who add a social mission to their consumption, the “Fair Trade” designation is ideal — though not simple.

The Fair Trade movement links farmer co-ops directly to the global market. This eliminates middlemen, yielding higher prices as well as providing sophisticated information about product preferences and standards. Fair Trade coffee companies work with farmers to improve their product as well as their communities. Farmers are guaranteed a price for their coffee up front, decreasing their vulnerability. 

Fair Trade certifies that additional virtues are rolled into the product. Environmental standards are high, gender equity is promoted and worker education and health programs are funded. No child or slave labor is permitted. 

Equal Exchange, a U.S.-based worker-owned co-op, is a grandmother of Fair Trade. It’s a for-profit, complete supply chain working directly with farmer co-ops in the developing world. (Visit equalexchange.coop for more background.) A few years ago, the certifying organization FairTradeUSA elected to certify plantation-grown products along with those grown by farmer-owned co-ops. That forced a break between FairTradeUSA and its global counterpart, Fairtrade International (known as FLO for its former name, Fairtrade Labelling Organization). Equal Exchange maintains its commitment to the FLO position, opposing Fair Trade certification for plantation-grown products.

Bulk Equal Exchange is Weavers Way’s best-selling coffee. The Co-op also offers coffee that is not certified Fair Trade but has other virtues:

Single Origin — Like a vineyard, this coffee all comes from one identified grower.

Ethically Sourced — The vendor is committed to a direct, fair, transparent and mutually beneficial relationship with coffee growers. This term can be either a generic descriptor or, as in the case of Starbucks, a third-party certification.

Organic — Specifically meets agricultural regulations — though Fair Trade certification mandates eco-responsibility, including organic practices.

Shade Grown — The traditional way coffee grows, under a tree canopy. While it doesn’t verify the coffee is organic, it indicates that the farmer uses eco-responsible growing methods, while providing the additional benefits of forestation and bio-diversity.

Bird Friendly-Certified — Requires organic certification plus a healthy canopy of trees that support wildlife. A well-managed shade-grown coffee farm has similar bio-diversity to a forest.

As I said, not simple!

Despite my husband’s instant-coffee-shaming (“You can drink that stuff?”), I think Mt. Hagen is just fine. No prep. No cleanup. It comes in decaf and even in packets. And I can drink it with a clear conscience. Stephanie Kane, Weavers Way’s local purchasing coordinator as a well as the Co-op’s fair-trade guru, reports nine units of Mt. Hagen were sold in the last six months.

In other words, there are two of us.