Now that subscription boxes pervade the market – every market – many people have forgotten that jelly and coffee of the month clubs long existed. Coffee of the month subscriptions existed as far back as the 1950s and 60s when it provided a go-to gift for executives.
Your dog and cat now have their own boxes as well, but the humble coffee box still remains. It grew in stature though. You can still find the original taster’s choices that send you a sample bag or two of various flavors or varieties each month so you can tour the world of coffee. A more refined choice has cropped up for the coffee connoisseur – a fair trade coffee club featuring top-quality coffee.
A coffee club offering fair trade coffee only provides the highest quality coffees available certified by the Fair Trade Agreement (FTA) organization. The FTA requires that a grower met certain conditions with respect to the environment, human resources, and employee treatment and pay. The FTA also guarantees a minimum price for coffee beans grown under its standards to incentivize small farms and independent growers to adhere to proper safety standards. This allows the small, family farms to successfully do business in an industry populated by corporate-owned plantations. These farms typically grow their beans organically.
An FTA coffee club provides a monthly bag of fair trade coffee in a variety of options. They typically include a light, medium, and dark roast choice as well as brewer’s choice roast also called a special roast. Some coffees exhibit chocolate or citrus overtones while others taste melon or nuts. Joining a trade coffee club lets you taste the world’s best coffees without needing to search them out on your own.