Would you pay more for 'ethical' coffee? 6 Minute English

Dan: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English.

I'm Dan and joining me today is Catherine.

Hey Catherine.

Catherine: Hey Dan.

Dan: So Catherine, do you prefer

a brew or a cup of joe in the morning?

Catherine: Well, if you are referring to whether I prefer

a cup of tea, which we sometimes call ‘a brew’,

or a cup of coffee, sometimes called ‘a cup of joe’,

I prefer my coffee in the morning.

Dan: I only drink coffee

when I really need to wake up quickly.

Catherine: And, why are you asking, Dan?

Dan: Because it’s part of this 6 minute English.

Catherine: Coffee. I see.

So how do you take it then, Dan?

Dan: Well, I’m an instant coffee kind of guy.

And I like mine with a dash of milk.

How about you?

Catherine: A dash of something

is a small amount of something,

especially liquid.

Personally, I prefer

freshly-ground coffee beans,

and I like my coffee dark and strong -

preferably Colombian or maybe Brazilian.

Dan: Wow. A coffee aficionado, eh?

Catherine: An aficionado is a person who’s

very enthusiastic about, or interested in,

a particular subject.

Dan: Well, let me test your knowledge

with this week’s quiz question.

The specialty coffee, Kopi luwak,

is made from coffee beans which have already passed

through an animal’s digestive system.

But which animal?

Is it a) an elephant

b) a cat

or c) a weasel?

Catherine: I’m always going to answer b) a cat.

Did you say this coffee actually goes

through the animal?

As in, it eats it

and then it comes out the other end,

and that’s what we use for the coffee?

Dan: Well, yes.

It is actually one of the most expensive coffees

in the world.

Anyway, we’ll find out if you’re right or not later on.

So, talking of expensive,

do you tend to pay more for your coffee

or are you happy with the cheap as chips stuff?

Catherine: Cheap as chips means very cheap.

And personally, I do actually like a quality product,

and I am willing to pay a bit more for it.

Dan: Would you be willing to pay

even more than you already do

if it meant that the farmer who grew the beans

was getting a fairer price?

Catherine: I would

because I think that that sort of thing is important.

Dan: And you aren’t alone.

There is a growing trend among many

Western customers of artisan cafes

to be willing to pay more for ethically produced coffee.

Catherine: Ethical means morally right.

So, Dan, why is this trend happening at the moment?

Dan: Well, it’s probably been going on for a while,

but a new report from the UN’s

World Intellectual Property Organisation

has observed the effect that smarter processing,

branding and marketing has had on the farmers

and their communities.

Catherine: And because of this,

coffee drinkers are better able to choose

ethically produced coffee that puts more money in the

hands of the farmers.

But, Dan, do the farmers actually see any of this money?

Dan: Well, it’s complicated.

The price of the coffee is relatively cheap until it’s

been roasted – or cooked in an oven.

As a result, roasters take most of the profits.

But there is still a difference.

I’ll let Johnathan Josephs,

a business reporter for the BBC News explain.

Jonathan Josephs: For a pound of coffee beans

that end up in the instants sold in supermarkets,

the roaster can get over $4.

But the export price is just $1.45.

The farmer gets most of that.

But when the new wave of socially-aware

customer pays a premium for higher standards,

the roaster can get $17.45,

but the export price also rises to $5.14.

Catherine: A premium

is an amount that’s more than usual.

So the farmer makes

three-and-a-half times as much money.

Dan: Which means a better quality of life for the farmer,

their family and their community.

Catherine: That’s good news!

I will definitely look for the

ethically produced coffee from now on.

As long as, Dan, it doesn’t come out of some animal!

Dan: Yes, actually that reminds me.

Our quiz question.

I asked you which animal

the speciality coffee Kopi luwak comes from.

Is it a) an elephant

b) a cat

or c) a weasel?

Catherine: And I said a cat.

Dan: And you are wrong I’m afraid.

Kopi luwak comes from a type of weasel.

Catherine: I’m kind of relieved about that.

Dan: Let’s try not to think about it,

and have a look at the vocabulary instead.

Catherine: OK. So, first we had dash.

A dash of something is a small amount of something,

usually a liquid.

Where might we talk about a dash of something, Dan?

Dan: Well, I like my tea with a dash of milk.

My gin with a dash of tonic,

and my soup with a dash of salt.

Then we had aficionado.

An aficionado is someone who is very interested

or enthusiastic about a subject.

What are you an aficionado of?

Catherine: I’m working on becoming

a bit of an accordion aficionado actually, Dan.

Dan: Wow, cool!

Catherine: Yeah!

After that, we had as cheap as chips.

Is something as cheap as chips?

Then it is very cheap indeed.

Dan: Like my shoes!

I bought them at a market for next to nothing.

They were as cheap as chips.

Then we had ethical.

Something which is ethical is morally right.

Do you consider yourself

to be an ethical person, Catherine?

Catherine: Well, I try, Dan. I don’t always get it right,

but I do attempt to be.

After that we heard roasted.

Roasted means cooked in an oven.

Like our coffee beans!

Dan: And of course our very famous English roast.

Finally, we had a premium.

If you pay a premium, you pay more than usual -

usually for a better quality or service.

Can you think of an example?

Catherine: If you’re going to the cinema,

you might pay a premium

to get more comfortable seats.

Dan: And that’s the end of this 6 Minute English.

Don’t forget to check out our YouTube,

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages,

and we’ll see you next time.

Goodbye.

Catherine: Bye!