PBS Frontline has an awesome interactive tutorial about the coffee business. From the fields to your house, you can play an interactive game where you choose where the change out of every dollar you spend, should go. After progressing through the stages, you then find out in the end how the breakdown really is. You can find the tutorial here.

Questions for debate:

1.)After seeing what the distribution money wise is-do you believe it is fair?

2.)Would you be motivated to buy "fair trade" coffee or alternative coffee company products now?

3.)How far off from how the money is really distrubted where you? What should the main considerations as to where the money goes be?

It seems the local traders have a monopoly, so their price of 2-3% could probably come down. The importers & exporters (shippers) may or may not have government protected rights, so their price, 4%, may or may not be able to be improved with competition. I'm surprised what share the roasters get, and wonder why no one has horned in on their action. Perhaps it's too expensive to buy into roasting areas in the port cities mentioned.

It seems the farmers, with their smallhold fields, should diversify their risks with intercropping, perhaps growing maize, potatos, peanuts, what have you, among the coffee. Their coffee yield would go down, but their overall yield would go up. If they're harvesting by hand, it shouldn't be a problem.

I like expensive coffees, and generally will buy 'fair trade' coffee if its available. I don't want that choice made for me though.