Why Your Coffee Van Can Be A Fair Trade Opportunity

There are many great motivations for owning a mobile coffee van. The sense of independence, the challenge of making a success of your own business and the opportunity to work where you like are three of many.

Of course, this comes with working plenty of hours, so it requires dedication to what you are doing. For that reason, you may be particularly motivated if you are not just making a living, but acting ethically too.

An obvious way to do this is to make your van one that specialises in selling ethical coffee. We offer a Fairtrade decaf and also the option of a Rainforest Alliance Certified blend for franchisees.

Fairtrade Coffee has been available since the struggles of Mexican farmers following a collapse in world coffee prices in 1988 brought the issue to global attention. The first Fairtrade coffee product in the UK appeared in 1991 and now over 800,000 farmers in 32 countries benefit from minimum pricing.

The Rainforest Alliance aims not just to pay producers fairly, but also to enable sustainable economic development, which raises incomes while protecting the rainforest from destruction and with it saves animals from habitat loss.

A factor you may note with many of these products is that you will have to pay more for your stock, so beware of the higher upfront cost and the consequent need to sell products to consumers at higher prices.

Against that, however, this does enable you to pitch yourself as an ethical provider, which may act as a unique selling point if you are competing with other vans in the same area.

Not only can you sell coffee knowing your suppliers are getting a fair price; ethically-minded consumers will be delighted to know this is what happens with the coffee they buy. They may become your most loyal and regular customers.

You can also apply ethical principles to other products your van offers, such as using Fair Trade Cocoa in your hot chocolate and in your chocolate bars.  Selling Fair Trade products ensures that your van is not just there to make a living, but plays a role in ​keeping commerce fair to everyone in the supply chain.