Fairtrade raises minimum coffee price for farmers
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Fairtrade will increase its minimum price for coffee starting December 1, 2026. The price for Arabica beans will rise by 11 percent, and Robusta beans will increase by 8 percent, benefitting nearly 900,000 coffee farmers worldwide.
Fairtrade announced the change leading up to International Coffee Day on October 1, to draw attention to the need for a fairer coffee market.
Marloes Groenewegen, CEO of Fairtrade Netherlands, stated that coffee farmers deserve price certainty, especially now that climate change and new regulations create instability and higher costs. Fairtrade determined the new prices by considering current market conditions, historically high coffee prices, and the importance of predictable price structures. Although coffee prices are currently high, the market remains unstable due to unpredictable weather and rising production costs for farmers.
The minimum price will act as a buffer when world market prices fall, allowing farmers to continue investing in climate adaptation, coffee quality, and sustainable livelihoods. If the world market price stays above the Fairtrade Minimum Price, buyers will pay the market price. Between 2020 and 2024, the Fairtrade Minimum Price was higher than the world market price about one-third of the time, protecting farmers from price declines.
Fairtrade based the new prices on cost research from 57 cooperatives in 13 countries during the 2023-2024 growing season, updated for inflation and exchange rates. The Standards Committee of Fairtrade, which includes both farmers and trading partners, made the final decision after consulting over 600 people in the coffee sector.
