Simply said, Fair Trade certified coffees are not for us. Our main criterium while choosing coffee is a flavour quality. This is directly linked to the purchasing price. If one coffee cups at 88 points, it will be much more expensive than a different coffee (perhaps from the same farm), which was scored 82 points. For Fair Trade certified coffees the cup quality is not very relevant. Our minimum coffee price we pay is still multiple times higher than FT certified coffees.
Yet we do not state that FT does not have its value for certain markets and companies. For many big coops in developing countries it is a possibility to earn premiums for complying with the Fair Trade standards.
If you are interested in Fair Trade issues, we recommend the book by Daniel Jaffee „Brewing Justice“ from 2007.