Files
Abstract
Fair trade is a commercial practice that aims to help small farmers in underdeveloped countries through mechanisms that can modify
the supply chain. This paper, through exploratory, quantitative and transversal research, tries to investigate this structuring effect of
fair trade on the productive nodule of the chain, examining the cohesion caused by this intervention on a small Cooperative of Coffee
Family Farmers (organic and conventional SAT-no agro toxic substances used in production) in Poço Fundo in the state of Minas
Gerais. The social network and supply chain perspectives, suported by Granovetter’s embeddeness theory, were used to analyze the
information surveyed. Although a high degree of cohesion was observed, there were also some hints of potential conflicts between the
new and the previous fair trade beneficiaries. The pioneers who, having been members of the local Cooperative for a longer period of
time and helped to establish fair trade in Poço Fundo, and who produce organic coffee have a greater commitment to fair trade. This
is a consequence of their greater emotional and economic investment. In the end, the Cooperative’s success will depend on a greater
commitment among the new producers and the producers of SAT coffee.