Questions

Sections:  Cooperative Coffees,    Trading Partners,     Coffee Industry,     Fair Trade,      Organics

• How can I join the Cooperative?  CC typically accepts one to three new members a year. Read more about the application process and membership covenant if you are interested in pursuing membership.
• Can I Order as a Non-member?  Yes, if we have the coffee you want available.  Please call us for quotes 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 Coop?  A coop 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 21 roaster members and is run by its governing Board of Directors and volunteer committees.
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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.
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Coffee Industry

• Where do you buy your coffee from?  Our coffees come from nine different countries and 19 different cooperatives.  Read more about the countries and cooperatives where the coffee is grown.
• What is the minimun price?   The FTF has set a minimum price per pound of coffee, well above what most farmers would receive through middlemen.   CC then pays an additional $.09 to the price per pound.   Organic coffee also receives an additional premium.
• What is a green bean?  It is NOT the same as a green bean you find in the vegetable aisle of the supermarket.  A green bean in the coffee world is a coffee bean that has not been roasted to the familiar brown coffee smelling bean we consume.  Coffee berries are harvest, depulped from the outside cherry, dried, and the result is the green coffee bean that is then packaged and sold from the farmers to buyers such as CC.
• 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.
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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? A  FTF logo identifies the company is a member committed to providing fair wages and good employment opportunities to economically disadvantaged artisans and farmers worldwide. A Transfair label certifies products — not companies. The Transfair logo simply indicates that the packaged product was purchased from the producer under Fair Trade terms. 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.  
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Organic

• What is organic coffee? Organic coffee does not use pesticides or other chemical solutions to natural problems. Rather organic methods include building healthy soil through composting, terracing, and inter-cropping. Organic farmers utilize biological pest control. They incorporate shaded trees and various other sustainable agricultural tools for the health of their coffee trees. They are moving towards the sustainability of the soil, water and ecosystem they use.
• Is all organic coffee fair trade? No, organic only defines how 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 is organic coffee better? Organic products are natural and healthy, therefore the taste is not compromised with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In addition, since many chemicals jeopordize the environment we live in you are also stopping further environmental degredation and helping nature get back to sustaining itself. Plus, organic products taste better because they are grown naturally.  
• What does it mean to become organic certified? see "Is all Organic Coffees Fair Trade?" 
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