Nestlé's fair trade interest a concern for coffee producers

Recent reports that Nestlé, the world’s biggest food company, is considering a move into the fair trade market have been met with scepticism and disbelief by market observers and rival coffee makers alike, but as analysts Datamonitor point out, any such move could have serious implications for the fast-growing ethical coffee market as a whole.

Nestlé has refused to comment on the rumours, first published in the UK’s Independent on Sunday newspaper earlier this month, but a move into the ethical coffee market by the multinational would not be out of character: the market for ethical products has grown rapidly in recent years – worth some £1.8 billion in the UK alone last year - and there is no sign of growth slowing in the immediate future.

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