Better technology doesn't make everyone better off. Unfair coffee trade is a common problem. Most of the coffee in the United States is being imported
from all over the word. Farmers in those coffee growing countries work hard day
and night to produce the best coffee they can; however, they do not get much in
return. American companies buy bags of coffee beans for a couple of cents. If farmers try to raise the prices for
their coffee then the companies would find someone else to buy it from. When
the coffee gets imported to the US it is now up to the machines to roast,
distribute and even make it for customers. In many places machines make coffee
for the customers. With technologies advancing, it is only a matter of time
before baristas in coffee shops are replaced with the machines. This will make coffee companies better off because the would no longer have to pay for labor, but it will not benefit the farmers. It is
unlikely that the American coffee corporations will start paying more for the
coffee they buy from the farmers. It might not seem like it, but we all can
help those farmers by buying fair trade coffee. It might not completely cover
the cost of growing and distributing the coffee, but it will help and it will
make the farmers better off.
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