Certifications

Fairtrade Coffee Certification

Fairtrade is the certification most people outside the trade have heard of, and its mechanics are frequently misunderstood on the buying side. This page sets out what it actually commits both parties to.

Last reviewed August 20262 min read

Quick answer

Fairtrade sets a floor price for certified coffee and adds a premium paid to the producer organisation, which decides collectively how to invest it. For coffee it applies to smallholder organisations rather than estates. Buying on Fairtrade terms requires the buyer to be registered as a Fairtrade payer.

The two financial mechanisms

Fairtrade Minimum Price: A floor. When the market price is below it, the minimum applies; when the market is above it, the market price applies. It functions as downside protection, not as a premium in itself.
Fairtrade Premium: An additional amount paid on top of the price, to the producer organisation rather than to individual farmers. The organisation decides democratically how to invest it.

Both figures are set by the standard-setting body and revised periodically, and they differ by coffee type and by whether the coffee is also organic. Confirm the current figures rather than working from a remembered number.

Who can be certified

For coffee, Fairtrade certification applies to organisations of small producers — cooperatives and associations with democratic governance — rather than to estates or plantations. That is a deliberate feature of the standard for this commodity, and it shapes which East African supply chains can participate.

The organisation must be democratically governed with documented member participation.
There are requirements on governance, transparency and the use of the premium.
Labour standards apply, including for any hired labour employed by member farms.
Environmental criteria apply, though they are less prescriptive than a dedicated environmental scheme.
Audit is carried out by the scheme’s certification body.

What the buyer needs

1Registration as a Fairtrade payer with the relevant national organisation.
2Contract terms referencing the applicable minimum price and premium.
3Traceability through the scheme’s platform, with volumes reported.
4Physical traceability, since coffee is traded on a segregated basis rather than mass balance.
5Licensing if the Fairtrade mark is to appear on a consumer product — a separate arrangement from buying on Fairtrade terms.

Buying Fairtrade coffee and using the mark are different things

You can buy certified coffee on Fairtrade terms without being licensed to use the mark on packaging. Consumer-facing use of the mark requires a separate licence from the scheme. Do not assume one confers the other.

What certification does not change

The physical specification. Grade, screen, defect tolerance, moisture, crop year and packaging are contracted exactly as for a conventional lot, and the coffee should be sampled and approved in exactly the same way. Certification is a commercial and social overlay on a physical transaction, not a substitute for specifying it.

East African availability

Fairtrade is common among cooperative unions across Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia, and frequently held alongside organic certification by the same organisations. Dual certification is a common request and a common reality.

Availability

Certified lots may be available subject to origin, crop, certification status and current inventory.

Fairtrade enquiries

Tell us the origin, specification and volume, and whether organic certification is also required. We will confirm what the crop supports.

Request Current Crop Offer

Frequently asked questions

What is the Fairtrade Minimum Price?

A price floor for certified coffee. When the market sits below it, the minimum applies; when the market is above, the market price applies. It is downside protection for the producer organisation rather than an automatic premium. The figures are set by the standard-setting body and revised periodically.

Who receives the Fairtrade Premium?

The producer organisation, not individual farmers directly. Members decide democratically how it is invested — commonly in processing infrastructure, farmer services, education or health projects.

Can estates be Fairtrade certified for coffee?

For coffee, certification applies to organisations of small producers rather than to estates or plantations. This is a deliberate feature of the standard for this commodity.

Do I need a licence to put the Fairtrade mark on my packaging?

Yes, and it is separate from buying on Fairtrade terms. Being a registered payer lets you purchase certified coffee; consumer-facing use of the mark requires its own licence from the scheme.

Tell us the coffee you need

Lots can be specified by origin, region, process, grade, screen, moisture, defect tolerance, crop year and packaging. Send what you know and we will confirm what each origin realistically supports.