The rise and stall of a fair trade pioneer: the cafédirect story

Iain A. Davies, Bob Doherty, Simon Knox

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

46 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This is a case study investigating the growth of fair trade pioneer, Cafédirect. We explore the growth of the company and develop strategic insights on how Cafédirect has attained its prominent position in the UK mainstream coffee industry based on its ethical positioning. We explore the marketing, networks and communications channels of the brand which have led to rapid growth from niche player to a mainstream brand. However, the company is experiencing a slow down in its meteoric rise and we question whether it is possible for the company to regain its former momentum with its current marketing strategy.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)127-147
Number of pages21
JournalJournal of Business Ethics
Volume92
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2010

Keywords

  • business ethics
  • cafédirect
  • case study
  • coffee
  • fair trade
  • marketing and marketing ethics
  • networks

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