Wake Up to These Fair Trade Coffees

In an effort to demonstrate that fair trade can be a viable business model, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) in Minneapolis started Peace Coffee with a group of Mexican farmers. The first coffee was sold in 1996, and what started as an educational project in the basement of a nonprofit turned into a successful business now housed in a large eco-friendly warehouse. Peace Coffee delivers to its customers in the Twin Cities via bicycle and in the suburbs with a biodiesel van. Those farther afield can order online.

Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters has representation on two coasts: a roastery and retail shop in Olympia, WA, and Atlanta, GA. You'll find fair trade and organic coffees at both. The Dancing Goats name behind its most popular blend (also the name of the Olympia espresso bar) comes from a coffee legend. The story goes that a goatherd named Kaldi in what is now Ethiopia noticed his goats dancing after eating some small red fruit. Kaldi ate the coffee cherries too and soon was dancing side by side with the goats. If your current cup o' Joe doesn't have you up and grooving, it might be time for a switch.

Kansas City's The Roasterie has been serving caffeine to those in need since 1993. At the cafe, you'll find organic and fair trade coffees made with the Clover, a relatively new technology that provides the ability to make a single brew in less time, so each cup gets its due. Curious types can take a free tour of the Roasterie's roasting facility, which takes advantage of sky lights to avoid using artificial ones. The company also creates fair trade coffee blends for local restaurants, such as Blue Bird Bistro.

All of the beans at Gorilla Coffee, located in Brooklyn, NY, are organic and fair trade. They call their coffee mighty strong, and in addition to the Gorilla Coffee shop, the stuff is sold at select retailers such as Whole Foods.

Doma Coffee in Post Falls, ID, was founded by husband and wife team Terry and Rebecca Patano, who named the company after their children, Dominic and Marco. In addition to offering organic, fair trade coffees, the company boasts that they use 100 percent biodegradable bags for retail and wholesale packaging, recycled office paper and nontoxic cleaning agents.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters, started in 1999, is based in Portland, OR. Its funny moniker refers to the city's old nickname, which resulted from the logging trade there (the streets were lined with tree stumps). Stumptown offers various fair trade and direct trade (meaning the company deals directly with the coffee farmers) brews, with names such as Holler Mountain and Hairbender blend. They are are available online or at one of the company's coffee shops in Portland.

Equal Exchange, a worker-owned company, has been promoting sustainably grown goods since 1987. The Massachusetts-based company sells fair trade coffee, tea, sugar packets and chocolate. Its fair-trade certified organic Love Bug Blend is a "post-roast" blend -- meaning it's mixed only after each individual coffee is roasted to the desired taste -- that consists of French and Full City beans sourced from Mexico, Central America and the Andes.