By Maureen C. Petrosky

As the frenzy for better and sustainable foods continues to sweep our nation, consumers are asking whether their eats are arriving at the table via ethical practices.

Shoppers who care about sustainable agriculture are taking a hard look at where the origins of their cup of coffee. After petroleum, coffee is the second most consumed commodity in the world. This popularity carries tremendous social and
political implications.

So how do you know if the beans that went into your morning cup of coffee were produced under eco–friendly and socially responsible conditions? For coffee to be considered Fair Trade, the participating coffee cooperative has to guarantee ecological farming and business practices. They also have to guarantee a competitive price is being paid to coffee farmers.
There are many fair trade–minded farms that don't participate in the fair trade program, small outfits that are producing magnificent beans. These little guys are teaming up with small–batch brewers around the globe to birth a new, environmentally and socially conscious coffee subculture.

Small coffee houses like Rojo's Roastery in Lambertville, N.J., Sweet Maria's in San Francisco and hipster hot spot Oslo in Brooklyn, N.Y., believe tracing the source of beans and having a direct relationship with your coffee bean sources is more important than filing the paperwork to get the Fair Trade stamp of approval. Not all the bags o' beans they're serving sport the Fair Trade sticker, but these roasters guarantee the products they're pouring come from reputable producers and, just as important, taste phenomenal.

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