Coffee factfile
| Commodity | Coffee |
| Country | Peru is a South American country with a population of 33,4 million. Fairtrade commodities originating there include coffee, cocoa, banana, gold and cereals.
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| Background information | Coffee is grown across the “bean belt” – a band of land on either side of the equator with suitable climate and soil conditions spanning more than 50 countries.
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| Social issues | Few farmers earn a living income from coffee production.
Though they produce significant volumes, they have little negotiating power in coffee supply chains that are dominated by large companies.
Coffee prices are very volatile and the proportion of coffee farmers living below the international extreme poverty line has increased recently.
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| Environmental issues | While to date, coffee has played a relatively small role in global deforestation, climate change and increasing global demand for coffee are driving coffee cultivation into new areas, many of which are currently forested and unprotected.
Most coffee is produced intensively in monocultures, using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Water pollution is high in many streams and rivers close to coffee processing plants.
Coffee farming produces greenhouse gas emissions due to the use of nitrogen fertilizers, insufficient wastewater management and deforestation.
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| Why is Fairtrade important?
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Choosing Fairtrade supports farmers to fight the challenges they face, from low and unpredictable incomes to the climate crisis.
Being part of Fairtrade has meant better knowledge about protecting the local environment and the chance to plant other crops and buy livestock to put more food on the table.
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| Where to buy Fairtrade coffee | Asda, Aspretto, CafeDirect, Clipper, Co-op, Greggs, Jenipher’s Coffi, John Lewis & Partners, Leon, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons, Nando’s, Nisa, Percol, Sainsbury’s, Taylors of Harrogate, Tesco, Waitrose amongst others |