W________⑥, sales of Fairtrade-certified coffee have increased from $22.5m per year to $87m per year since 1998. This is still only a tiny fraction of the overall world coffee trade, worth $10 billion annually. But there are plenty of other ★niche markets[4] for high-quality coffee. Some small producers can c_________⑦ more by marketing their coffee as organic—a switch which takes five years or so—or “bird-friendly” （4）because, unlike large, mechanised plantations, they have retained shade trees.
Starbucks, the Seattle-based coffee-bar c________⑧, says it uses a similar formula to that of Fairtrade in buying its coffee. All is bought at a “fair price”, says Peter Torrebiarte, who manages Starbucks’ buying operation in Costa Rica.
（5）Some niches can be large. Only 6% of world o________⑨ is of top quality, but in Costa Rica and Guatemala the figure rises to 60%, says Mr Torrebiarte. Starbucks bought 37% of Costa Rica’s entire coffee crop in the 2004-05 season, according to Adolfo Lizano of the country’s coffee institute.
Mexico lags behind its neighbours in extracting higher prices. But 95% of the coffee in Mexico is arabica—the type of bean demanded by connoisseurs—rather than lower-grade robusta. Almost all of it is grown at a________⑩, which also improves quality. So Mexico, too, has the potential to compete on quality rather than price. Only by following the path forged by Costa Rica and Guatemala, says Mr Celis, can Mexico’s coffee growers survive in the world market. （6）For their part, discerning coffee drinkers can satisfy their palate and their conscience at the same time.