Fair Trade Coffee in Romania

Abstract The article reports the findings of a study on the knowledge, awareness and potential for adoption of fair trade (FT) coffee in Romania. Based on a random sample it was found that although Romanians are daily consumers and shop in hyper and supermarkets where they unintentionally encounter FT coffee, they are not aware of the logo and the eponymous concept. This makes Romania’s situation similar to those in the Visegrad Gup and Southern Europe. The data prove that lack of knowledge and awareness does not automatically imply low commitment to the potential for adoption or lack of altruism, as domestic consumers are willing to help poverty-stricken people in producing countries by buying FT coffee. As such, the domestic market is permeable and, with the exception of a small conservative group of consumers, there is plenty of scope for influence to increase awareness and adoption in domestic consumption of FT coffee.