Time for a fair go
After more than 10 years in the Australian market, Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand CEO Molly Harriss Olson says there’s a dominant roadblock she’s keen to put to bed.
“Roasters and importers think that we stand between them and the farmer – however, instead of being a barrier, we act as a business conduit so that businesses and roasters can access fairer trading mechanisms that benefit farmers and producers, as well as their own businesses,” Molly says.
Fairtrade is a system that advocates for decent working conditions, fair prices for farmers, sustainable practices, environmental protection and the empowerment of farmers and workers in developing countries. Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand is the independent non-profit organisation that licenses the use of the global Fairtrade mark to internationally agreed standards.
According to Fairtrade International, 80 per cent of the world’s coffee comes from smallholder farmers, which includes cooperatives. Around the world, 25 million smallholders produce 70 to 80 per cent of the world’s coffee, which is one
