FairWild Coffee Certification is a relatively new standard launched in 2006 . It was developed as a result of increased consumer demand for " wild collected products " for food, personal health care and medicinal herbs use.

Consumers worldwide are claiming more and more "wild" and "natural" products and "wild coffee" specifically meets that definition. Existing certificates are somewhat vague about the requirements of organic wild collection which have different handling procedures and requirements. The FairWild certification scheme was started to recognize existing organic regulations and the unique characteristics of 'wild' products.

The mission of FairWild is to allow collectors, workers and companies in the 'wild collection trade "to jointly work on sustainable production in order to get a fair price for their goods.

• FairWild works in concert with the ecologically focused management criteria defined in the "International Standard for Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants" (ISSC-MAP), the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and other international organizations.
• The FairWild standard combines the principles of sustainability from ISSC-MAP with principles of the Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO) and the International Labor Standards (ILO).
• The main goal is to bring farmers, buyers, processors, and other people involved in the coffee trade together in groups so that they can get education, training and establish group accountability.
• In general, the FairWild standard requires monitoring of "fair" relations at all levels.This is important because most coffee growers in Ethiopia are small scale farmers and the "fair" standard helps them have an equal opportunity for training, financial assistance and other resources .

A unique aspect of FairWild Certification is that all plants or parts of plants issued from wild collections can be certified FairWild regardless of their intended use. The only exceptions are animal and aquatic species as well as honey.

• The FairWild Certification applications only to plants growing in a precisely defined and approved area.
• The area itself is not certified. The plants or parts of plants from the area can be FairWild certified.
• FairWild certified products can be marketed as FairWild, Fairtrade and according to ISSC-MAP standards.
• The only accredited body that offer FairWild standards certification is the Institute of Marketecology (IMO), a Switzerland-based inspection, certification and quality assurance agency.
• IMO has branches in many countries worldwide and in 2006 it opened its office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• This is a sign that they are serious about "wild coffee" since that is what grows in Ethiopia.
• Further proof of their commitment to Ethiopian wild coffee is their support of the "Kaffa Forest Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union," one of Ethiopia's first FairWild certification initiatives at the grass root level.

Further coffee certification development is good news for the coffee trade and for Ethiopian coffee. So, what about preparing a delicious cup of specialty Ethiopian Longberry Harrar coffee?