Fair trade coffee potential market in Italy: a roaster sector analysis

This paper analyses the Italian coffee market within the Fair Trade Movement - FTM. Coffee is one of the main commodities and the most important FTM product, but with a low Italian participation. This research aims at analyzing the Italian roasters, including their current behavior and their potential. All Italian roasting companies have been contacted, but only 54 out of 567 have responded. The results indicate a low level of knowledge about the FTM requirements. Consequently, the Italian companies are losing this opportunity to exploit this market segment. Italian roasters should acquire more information about the FTM and its potentials, as to enter more aggressively into FTM markets, combining with the consolidated fame of the Italian coffee