A cup of coffee always tells a story. Behind the preparation in the espresso machine hides an enormous production process.
The coffee chain goes from the farmers who look after the coffee plants and select the beans to the distributors who place the final product in the supermarket. Although the buyer is only guided by the quality and taste of the beverage, many are unaware of the legal and unethical conditions that make it possible to enjoy their drink every morning.
Child labor and the overload of work for a minimal reward is a very tangible reality, especially in economic products, such as instant coffees or low-quality beans.
Keeping really low production costs accelerates the speed of coffee ready to distribute and sell. In other words, quantity is prioritized over quality, not only in the product but also the workers. When they are in deplorable conditions, on a miserable wage, and in unhealthy work environments (no basic services, bad quality tools or even without decent housing), expenses are minimal. Then profits are perceived faster and in crescendo.
Despite the efforts of small brands associated with fair production quality seals, ethical coffee production remains a minority compared to large coffee industries.
Production and quality: two sides of the same coin
The quality-price ratio is equivalent to that established between production and actual value. If the costs are really low, the money left over is not used to improve quality, but to produce more things to continue selling. Again, it is about quantity over quality.
It is always advisable to buy ethically produced coffee. Not only because it stops contributing to the exploitation of natural and human resources, but also because the quality of the product is superior.
A fairly produced coffee is pesticide-free and hand-picked. Those who work on the coffee farms receive all benefits to work with dignity, paid on an equitable basis according to the total earnings per kilo.
In addition, this type of ethical coffee production works with all the necessary legal guarantees to sell. Several organizations around the world are working together to take on the challenge of improving relations between producers and sellers and, of course, between traders and buyers.
How do I know the coffee I’m buying was ethically produced?
Many coffees advertise that they have been produced in direct contact with the farmer or that it was harvested in rustic but environment-friendly conditions. But how do you know if this is true?
Labels today play a fundamental role in deciding whether or not to buy a product. That something says it was organically harvested is not enough to believe it. In an ethical coffee product the real labels, the authentic ones, come with the support of recognized institutes.
