Since 2009, the vast majority of the coffees The Brooklyn Roasting Company has sourced have been Fair Trade certified. Our commitment to Fair Trade certification guarantees that the farmer partners who grow the coffees we purchase are paid a living wage. Historically, coffee is perhaps the best example of a colonial commodity, purchased by wealthy coffee consuming countries from disadvantaged coffee producing countries.

Around the world, the effects of low commodity coffee prices and the unprecedented impact of climate change greatly complicate what “sustainability” means in the context of coffee. Will the next generation of young coffee farmers try to escape poverty and move to larger urban areas? Will a changing climate mean less better-quality beans available for export?