His skin, the colour of burnt amber, weeps profusely at the scorching ministrations of the sun’s fiery touch. He toils the hard, unyielding earth daily struggling to support his family on a paltry US$350 (S$525) a year – earning US$0.50 per pound of his produce. If he’s lucky.

This is the sobering reality of exploited coffee growers in disadvantaged communities who strive to eke out a living on paltry wages for growing crops that will be resold in cups of the hot brew for 20 times the price, according to a report by CBC News.

A Fairer Cuppa

This exploitative sweatshop-like system is something that UK-based Fairtrade company, Cafédirect and Cedele by The Bakery Depot hope to help abolish in their recent partnership, without depriving customers of fresh, aromatic, organic coffee each time they pop in for a caffeine fix.

Coffee and other products tied up with the Fairtrade system ensure that the Third World crop growers are paid a better wage (slightly more than US$1.30 per pound of produce). Part of the sale from Fairtrade products – up to 60% of Cafédirect’s profits are reinvested in the same rural communities for social, environmental or economic developments.

Although Fairtrade coffee is not uncommon in Singapore, Cedele is the first café chain in Singapore to exclusively use  Fairtrade coffee beans to brew each cup of Arabica daily. Cedele made the switch from regular coffee beans to Fairtrade organic coffee beans last month, in collaboration with Cafédirect.

All Natural

For Ms Yeap Cheng Guat, who founded Cedele with the vision of making food of good quality and high nutritional value, the partnership was only natural.

“Cafédirect has double certifications – Organic and Fairtrade. And their coffee beans taste very good,” she says.

On its own, the Espresso is full bodied and robust, with just a hint of nutty sweetness. It has a relatively low acidity level, which, to the less discerning palate, means it doesn’t leave a sour aftertaste.

With the infusion of milk and other flavourings, this sweetness becomes more pronounced. The distinct flavour of the Fairtrade Organic Espresso holds its own even in complex concoctions, such as the Iced Hazelnut Latte ($5.80).

The Fairtrade organic coffee dessert, Espresso Affogato ($7), sees the unlikely pairing of hot Espresso with vanilla bean ice cream – a novelty that has pros and cons. The full-bodied beverage complements the subtly scented ice cream perfectly. However, it melts far too quickly and leaves you with an unappealing mixture of liquefied ice cream and lukewarm coffee.

Nonetheless, Cedele fares well on the dessert front in general. With a delightful selection of pastries and cakes to go with its exquisite coffee creations, you will find yourself spoilt for choice. A must-try is the Sesame Tahini Cake ($6.50) – an east-meets-west pairing of black sesame sponge with cream cheese frosting that is both flavourful and indulgent.

Cafédirect’s reach spans across 1.4 million people and 39 grower organisation in 13 developing countries. The 17-year-old organisation’s products are also available at local supermarkets like Cold Storage, Jason’s Market Place and NTUC Finest.