It took some idealistic students, but Tully’s now offers a fairly traded espresso blend—at one location, anyway.

Fair Trade—like organic, shade grown, rainforest-friendly, bird-friendly and other “official” certifications—is great in theory but suffers from its share of problems and conundrums for both the producers it aims to benefit, and roasters and coffee companies with good intentions.

Check back for an upcoming article on this issue.