in the previous decade, tea-leaf growers in developing countries have put together a new model for the production of quality tea within a fair trade framework. however, the cost of tea leaf production under such conditions is significantly higher than in other, less socially-aware business models. this fact may cause many distributors in developed countries to avoid undertaking the new model in order to cut down costs. fortunately, as social awareness is becoming a decisive factor in the product choice of consumers in developed countries, tea growers working according to the fair trade model are expected to be increasingly more desirable business partners.