After all, what benefits does fair trade bring? Understanding the influence of certification for the development of productive organizations

Fairtrade represents a certification model based on the relationship between producers, traders and consumers, encouraging more responsible and ethical production practices. The number of research capable of pointing out the effectiveness of certification in the regions where it operates is still low, leaving gaps in terms of the influence of certification for rural producers organized in cooperatives. In this context, the study in question sought to understand the influence of Fairtrade certification for COORPOL member coffee growers. The qualitative research was carried out through semi-structured interviews, conducted with members of the organization. The categorical content analysis technique was used as a data analysis methodology and with the help of the Iramuteq software, the similitude analysis was performed. The research revealed that certification mainly meets the requirements of social improvements and environmental improvements, impacting the educational development of associates, opening opportunities for gaining knowledge in different dimensions. However, in the economic aspect, the benefits are still not very expressive since the payment mechanism of the highest market value has not effectively helped the producers.