付高價喝一杯“道德”咖啡

你會付高價喝一杯 道德咖啡嗎？你了解什么是道德咖啡嗎？它在原來公平貿易咖啡的基礎上更看重咖啡豆的來源與種植者的收入。依據聯合國統計的數據顯示，現在在不少西方國家，匠人咖啡十分時尚，這也證明愈加多的大家想為道德咖啡買單。

Do you like to start your day with a cup of joe? Well, you wouldnt be alone. Millions of people from all over the world brew1 a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, or at any time of day, for that matter. Do you make it yourself, using instant coffee? Or, if you are a coffee connoisseur2, perhaps you use freshly ground beans. Do you take it straight? With a dash of milk? Or maybe even some chocolate sprinkles? Or, failing all of that, maybe youd rather pay a barista in a cafe to whip one up for you.

Cafes are everywhere these days, offering as many varieties of coffee as there are ways to have it served. And this leads to a range of prices, from cheap grab-and-go coffee, to the ultra-expensive artisanal coffee. However, an increasing number of Western consumers are happy to pay a little over the odds3 for their cup in order to ensure that it comes from an ethically4 produced and sustainable source.

At The Attendant, a cafe in east London, staff attempt to make customers aware of the story of the beans that they are drinking and the impact they are having by choosing to drink ethically. For a start, it can make coffee farmers up to three-and-a-half times better off, according to figures from the UNs World Intellectual Property Organisation5 . Ryan de Oliveria, The Attendants co-founder and chief executive, says the extra income allows farmers and their families to have a better quality of life. It also makes investing or reinvesting in their business possible.

Wipos figures show smarter processing, branding and marketing6 make a huge difference to the growers and their communities. Technology now means that the beans can be tracked all the way from the farm to the cup. The research shows that for a pound of beans going to a supermarket, the export price is $1.45. Most of this goes to the farmer. The price almost doubles when the beans are headed for large western coffee chains. But farmers exporting their beans to artisanal cafes make over $5 per pound. Thats because the coffee aficionados7 who frequent these places are happy to pay more.

It seems that its a win-win situation for the farmers, cafes and consumers. So much so that more established coffee businesses are jumping on the band wagon8 by buying up artisanal rivals who have already embraced this way of doing things. If thats the case, then the future of coffee production looks a little fairer for all. And thats something that should get anyone up on the right side of bed.