“Establishing the roasting plant was a huge step forward for us. As our earnings have grown, the life of my family and my community have improved,” explains Rosa Sarmiento, a coffee farmer from Honduras. She coordinates the work of the women’s group in the Flor del Pino cooperative. The women have established a roasting plant that provides them with extra revenue.

Finns bought 233,5 million euros worth of Fairtrade products in 2017. A total of 1,65 million small farmers and employees working at large farms are participants in the Fairtrade scheme. They receive a guaranteed price for their products. Cooperatives also spend money on developing their communities. Finland supports the work of Fairtrade with development cooperation funding. For example in Honduras, the production at small farms declined by 17 per cent in 2012–2013 as a result of a fungal disease attacking coffee plants. In 2016 support for coffee growing cooperatives had enabled the establishment of dozens of plant nurseries where hundreds of thousands of healthy coffee plant saplings have been grown. This has provided families and communities with additional income.

Photo: Sean Hawkey, graphics: Juho Hiilivirta