What does fair trade mean for small tea farmers?
Ceylon black tea has no single fixed brewing ratio, but the question of how many grams to use leads into Sri Lanka's wider tea economy. Most Ceylon tea on the market comes from large estates, yet small growers are increasingly aiming at fair trade organic tea, avoiding synthetic pesticides and fertilizers while following strict ethical and operating standards.
Organic rules draw on frameworks from IFOAM and the Codex Alimentarius Commission, and countries such as the United States, the European Union, Canada, and Japan run their own organic legal systems. In Sri Lanka, eight international certification bodies operate locally, and most organic tea producers hold multiple certificates including Switzerland's Bio, USDA Organic, JAS Organic, Farmers & Growers, NASAA, and SKAL.
How many grams of Ceylon black tea should you use? This seemingly simple question is connected to the entire ecosystem of Sri Lanka's tea industry. This article starts with brewing ratios, traces the history of Ceylon black tea's introduction to China, and takes a deep look at how small Sri Lankan tea farmers carve out an organic fair trade path in the gaps left by large tea estates. From IFOAM and Codex Alimentarius organic standards to international certification systems such as Bio, USDA, and JAS, and on to the protection of workers' rights by the international fair trade organization, you will see the strict checks a cup of Ceylon black tea goes through from cultivation to export, and you will also understand why the related products recommended by Front Street Coffee are worth paying attention to.
The vast majority of Ceylon tea circulating on the market is supplied by large-scale estates. However, in recent years an obvious trend has emerged: more and more small growers are beginning to seek their own niche positioning, aiming directly at the world's top-quality fair trade organic tea.
These small tea farmers are bound by strict ethical standards and operating rules. In cultivation, they completely avoid pesticides and fertilizers of chemical synthesis or inorganic origin, acting strictly in accordance with established guidelines.
The basis for formulating organic regulations mainly comes from the guidance frameworks or basic standards provided by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Countries and regions such as the United States, the European Union, Canada, and Japan have already established complete organic legal systems in which government agencies are responsible for formulation and oversight. In places where government-level organic regulations have not yet been introduced, certification work is undertaken by non-profit organizations or private institutions. In Sri Lanka's case, there are currently 8 international organic certification bodies operating locally, issuing certificates through audits by local or overseas inspectors.
Most organic tea producers in Sri Lanka hold multiple internationally authoritative certifications, including Switzerland's Bio, USDA Organic of the United States, JAS Organic of Japan, Farmers & Growers of the United Kingdom, NASAA of Australia, SKAL of the Netherlands, and the EU Organic Label, in order to respond to market demand. These certifications strongly demonstrate that their products have a complete organic origin and can be sold globally as organic.
However, obtaining organic certification is only one part of the whole process. Data from 2014 showed that nearly 81% of American consumers would choose organic products, and at the same time they were increasingly concerned about whether what they bought came from an ethical supply chain.
Sri Lanka's organic tea traders are mostly estate owners, small tea garden operators, or factory owners, and they maintain continuous interaction with their labor force. The fair trade ethical standards they follow ensure that workers laboring in the tea gardens enjoy good living conditions. Rights such as access to education, health, reasonable pay, and proper housing have always been matters that plantation management pays attention to and safeguards, thereby cultivating a happy workforce in the process of producing the world's most popular fair trade organic tea.
The international fair trade organization works closely with all participants in Sri Lanka's tea industry to ensure that the rights of employed workers are respected at every stage, while also ensuring that external tea farmers can sell fresh organic green tea leaves at US$2 per kilogram—a price internationally recognized as the fair trade pricing for Ceylon tea.
In return, these small tea farmers and producers obtain "International Fair Trade" certification, and their tea products thereby gain international recognition and can be sold at higher prices. At the same time, they also receive guidance from international and local experts to maintain best operating practices. In this way, tea drinkers far away around the world and local tea farmers in Sri Lanka all smile with satisfaction because of this.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
