There are many essential products fetishized by Americans; one of those things is coffee. It's no secret that there is a high demand for coffee and many specialty coffee shops are springing up, such as Starbucks, Peet's and Coffee Bean. Consumers often lose sight of where things come from and how they are produced. A key element 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 of commodity fetishism and its direct relationship to coffee production, focusing on the value of the coffee bean as well as how this directly affects the farmer and his family . As industrialization evolved, people worked long days to produce everyday essentials. Marx describes essential everyday objects as “things”, which have ordinary use but which also happen to be commodities. Marx in turn defined a commodity as a thing which, although not a necessity, brings satisfaction to a person (Marx in Desfor Edles and Appelrouth 2012: 69). As a result of the commodification of material things, the owners of the means of production demand more labor from the worker. In “Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844,” Marx introduces the idea that the worker became estranged, or alienated, from the work being produced because the products produced meant nothing to him; It’s not a profession that makes sense. A person is alienated because he or she has no influence on the outcome of the product (Marx in Desfor Edles and Appelrouth 2012: 41). Additionally, with alienating labor, the worker does not create an entire product from start to finish and rarely has contact with another worker while on the production line (Marx in Desfor Edles... mid paper.... ..-operational management of coffee distribution (Kolk 2013: 327-28) Fair trade also allows consumers to think about the type of product purchased by informing them of the fair and ethical practices behind the beans. coffee (Kolk 2013: 334), the consumer can feel a sense of contribution to supporting farmers' livelihoods Desfor Edles, Laura and Scott Appelrouth 2010. “Karl Marx (1818-1883).” » Pp. in Sociological Theory in the Classical Era. Thousand Oaks, California: Pine Forge Press, Ans. 21(5): 324-337. with milk”? Regulations, markets and consumption in the global coffee chain. 30(7):1099-1122. Starbucks. 2013. http://www.starbucks.com/about-us/our-heritage