Good reply Spanner!
MH, if the comments above make sense to you, and are something you are interested in, send a PM or email to Hasbean and ask Steve for his text on FairTrade.
FairTrade has spent a LOT of money on advertising, to the detriment of all other approaches. Consequently, it is up to us to educate people that there are alternatives. CoE, as just one of the alternatives, is very keen to create lasting relationships between all in the trade. As a result, rather than buying coffee purely because it has a FT label (but with little real knowledge of where and to who the money is going), you're buying a coffee knowing exactly who grew it, the skill and effort that has gone into this, and that they have been rewarded justly.
So next time somebody asks if a coffee is FairTrade, you can tell them "No" with a big smile, and then proceed in telling them precisely where the coffee has come from, who owns the farm, the differences they have made to this year's crop, how well they did in the auction, and the difference the money they have earned, as a result, is making!
Further reading:
Coffee Hunter Field Trip - Guatemala
Adios Guatemala
or even
Ha'way the lads. Hasbean sponsors a decent football team, for once