FAIRTRADE - Every cup has the meaning
Did you know that every time you order a VIVA CAFE cup, you do a good deed? This is because VIVA CAFE bears the FAIRTRADE logo, which symbolizes fair pay and support for coffee growers in Nicaragua, for example.
"When a small farmer in Nicaragua picks up a bag of coffee, he loads it on his moped, drives it for two hours to get to the nearest coffee shopper, and accepts as much money as they give him. However, very rarely this payment is fair, which is why the Fairtrade system is so important,” says Hartwig Körner, FAIRTRADE's Managing Director for Austria. The system is specifically aimed at supporting small coffee producers and their families, who through it unite in cooperatives to obtain fairer conditions on the world market.
FAIRTRADE guarantees manufacturers not only a minimum price of almost $ 3 per kilogram of coffee, but in addition a premium of 0.4 USD per kilogram, or a supplement of about 14%. This premium is paid to farmers' cooperatives, which together decide how to spend it. A quarter of the premium is earmarked for measures to improve conditions and production. For example, you can invest in solar systems for drying coffee, instead of drying it directly on the asphalt. "The goal is to increase the harvest and achieve higher quality, because that way farmers will earn more," explains Hartwig Körner.
The rest of the premium can be used freely. "The money can be distributed among the producers. But usually a more sensible solution is to invest in socially significant projects." Coffee most often grows at high altitudes in difficult working conditions. The villages where coffee is grown are extremely isolated and lacking infrastructure. Therefore, in recent years, FAIRTRADE premiums have been used to build water systems, build schools, and grant grants for new crops and equipment. "Cooperatives make the decision together with the majority. The locals know best what they need,” says Hartwig Körner.
"In 2016, 150,000 tons of coffee were sold under the FAIRTRADE brand - 16.7% more than in the previous year. This is a huge success with a direct effect on the working and living conditions of more than 800,000 farmers covered by the system."
Hartwig Körner, Managing Director of FAIRTRADE Austria
Not necessarily, but often yes. Over a third of the coffee sold under the FAIRTRADE brand is grown organically and organically. As organic farming is significantly more complex and time consuming, natural coffee receives an additional premium and there is special training for farmers. At the same time, however, the use of hazardous pesticides in standard coffee is completely prohibited under FAIRTRADE. There are strict requirements and regulations for workers and a general requirement for environmentally friendly production.
OMV has been a partner of FAIRTRADE since 2012. It was the first filling station operator in Austria to join the program. Since then, OMV has introduced the FAIRTRADE standard in all its service stations in all countries in which it operates. Each cup of VIVA CAFE is made of 100% FAIRTRADE coffee beans. This is of great importance because, for example, in 2016 we sold about 39 million cups of coffee to our customers around the world.
The FAIRTRADE coffee comes from over 800,000 producers in 30 countries. Beans from Brazil, India and Nicaragua are selected for VIVA CAFE. To produce good coffee, it must first be well grown, so FAIRTRADE farmers pay great care and attention to their plantations. They pick the crop by hand and make an incredible effort during the drying process. "It's important to explain to customers that these efforts and hard work have a direct impact on the quality of the coffee they drink, and also that there is a fair price for them," says Hartwig Körner. The FAIRTRADE system has a direct social effect. It not only guarantees fair pay and bonuses to producers, but they also receive training and advice, and through knowledge cooperatives, their skills develop and reach the community. This is also evident in the quality of the coffee.
What about our farmers in Nicaragua? They already have transport for their coffee to the markets - trucks owned by the cooperatives bought from the FAIRTRADE premiums. Thus, the coffee of the whole cooperative is delivered at the same time and is bought on better terms, saving time.