There are many essentials that are fetishized by Americans; one of these things is coffee. It's no secret that there is a huge demand for coffee with the emergence of many specialty coffee shops, such as Starbucks, Peet's and Coffee Bean. Consumers often lose sight of where things come from and how they are produced. A key component of production is the producer. The consumer does not pay enough attention to the ethical treatment and wages of the producer. This article discusses Karl Marx's premise on commodity fetishism and its direct relationship to coffee production, focusing on the value of the coffee bean and how this directly affects the farmer and his family. As industrialization evolved, people worked long days to produce everyday essentials. Marx labels everyday essentials as “things,” which have ordinary uses but also turn out to be commodities. Marx in turn defined a commodity as a thing that, although not a necessity, brings gratification to a person (Marx in Desfor Edles and Appelrouth 2012:69). As a consequence of the commodification of material things, the owners of the means of production demand more work from the worker. In the “Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844,” Marx introduces the idea that the worker distances himself, or alienates himself, from the labor produced because the products produced mean nothing to them; it is not a profession that has any meaning. A person is alienated because there is no input into the outcome of the product (Marx in Desfor Edles and Appelrouth 2012:41). Furthermore, in alienating work, the worker does not create a complete product from start to finish and rarely has contact with another worker while on the production line (Marx in Desfor Edles...middle of paper.... ..- operational management of coffee distribution (Kolk 2013:327-28). Fair trade also allows consumers to consider the type of product purchased by informing them of the fair and ethical practices behind the coffee beans (Kolk). 2013:334).By supporting fair trade coffee, the consumer can feel a sense of contribution in supporting farmers' livelihoods. Pp in Sociological Theory in the Classical Era. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.Kolk, Ans 2002. “The “Revolution of Milk”? Regulation, markets and consumption in the global coffee chain”. 30(7):1099-1122. Starbucks