Coffee has a history of being a particularly nasty crop. Pesticides used in commercial coffee cultivation poison both agricultural workers and communities. Tropical rainforests are often destroyed for coffee plantations, where rains eventually wash away topsoil, leaving once lush land eroded. And peasants that pick coffee are often among the most exploited on the planet.

But it’s not all bad news. The “Fair Trade Coffee” movement verifies through a strict labeling system that workers harvesting Fair Trade coffee are treated fairly and earn a living wage. Fair Trade coffee is often organic, which means that the land and the coffee pickers haven’t been poisoned. And it is also often “shade grown,” meaning that the coffee was grown in the forest rather than in clearcut fields, and that the forest was preserved. Shade-grown coffee is labor-intensive to grow and harvest, but it is both more flavorful and environmentally sustainable.

Here in Buffalo, Premier Gourmet (3465 Delaware Ave.) is a leader in the Fair Trade coffee movement. Their Master Roaster, Peter Fremming, is an expert in the ever-changing arena of global coffee politics, since he buys his beans green right from the source and roasts them himself. Premier also carries a full selection of Fair Trade coffees, including a large array of shade-grown and organic varietals certified by Coffee Kids, Transfair USA and the Organic Crop Improvement Association as well an ever-changing array of smaller non-governmental organizations. The Lexington Food Co-op’s (807 Elmwood Ave.) coffee selection is also dominated by Fair Trade Coffee sold under the Equal Exchange brand. Most area coffee sellers, in fact, are offering such progressive options. Coffee only costs a few cents a cup. What’s a few more cents? It can give you and the recipient of your coffee gift the peace of mind that your coffee dollars are doing some good rather than some harm. Give the gift of good taste and good conscience this year!