Fairtrade is something that's important to us at Philly Fairtrade, using our shared love of coffee and community to support others globally who are working to be positive contributors in their communities.  To help us all understand a little bit more about Fairtrade, how it works and benefits, we reached out to our awesome Fairtrade USA contact, Emily to explain a bit more about Fairtrade.

Can you give us a brief intro about yourself, how long you've been with Fairtrade USA & what you do?

I'm Emily—a Business Development Manager at Fair Trade USA. I've been with Fair Trade for two years and came to the organization from the coffee roasting world. I worked with a few coffee roasters in New Orleans (where I lived for 15 years) and in Los Angeles (where I'm from and currently live)!

What attracted you to working with Fairtrade USA & what do you enjoy most about your job?

Working in specialty coffee, you end up learning a lot about who grows your coffee and the inherent issues in the coffee supply chain that affect them. Working at Fair Trade gave me the opportunity to connect with producers in a way I never had before! My role here is to help coffee roaster brands get the most out of their Fair Trade Certification, and my very favorite part has been working with brands like Philly Fair Trade speak to their customers about what their Fair Trade impact actually is!

What is something that is often misunderstood about Fairtrade?

Often, people don't understand how much our program covers at origin. Yes, the Fair Trade Minimum Price is a super important part of our standards, but there's so much more! Social standards protecting workers' rights and gender equity, making sure there's no slave or child labor, and environmental standards covering water usage, pesticides, biodiversity and lots more!

What is something you wish more people knew about Fairtrade?

The Community Development Funds. On top of the price producers receive for the coffee, they also receive a $0.20 per pound Community Development Fund premium. This premium is syphoned off and put into a fund for producers and workers to democratically decide how to use for projects that empower their community! In 2025, Philly Fair Trade generated $9,980 to Community Development Funds around the world! Each bag of Fair Trade Certified coffee you buy make a huge difference in the communities where your coffee is grown.

Can you share any of the positives you've seen Fairtrade help fund or any specific stories you'd like to share about Fairtrade and the impact you've seen it have?