People dash in and out of Alterra all day long with a steaming mug of coffee in their hands, probably unaware of the history behind each sip.

Every few weeks, 150-pound bags of coffee beans arrive at the Alterra Coffee Roasters on Prospect Avenue. Coffee beans come from about 18 countries, including Africa, South America, the East Indies and even Hawaii.

Alterra has been in business since 1997, and continues to proudly serve fair trade coffee.

Essentially, fair trade allows the farmers who labored over the coffee plants to remain debt-free. Farmers are paid $1.26 per pound, and gain a long-term relationship with the producer, according to the International Fair Trade Coffee Register’s Web site.

Taste-testers at Alterra always get the first sampling of a terrific brew.

“We receive samples from different importers and go to the ‘Cupping Room,’ ” says Al Liu, who works at the Alterra on Prospect Avenue. “We taste different samples and we choose one we like the best.”

Whether or not the coffee bean tastes bitter depends on the altitude of the plant’s location. Any beans from above 2,000 feet are called “Arabica.” Arabica beans take longer to mature and are generally handpicked, so the cost is higher for these beans, Liu says.

Most beans sold in grocery stores are called “Robusta.” These beans taste more bitter than Arabica beans, but they have twice the amount of caffeine, according to the Fair Trade site.

Liu says that these beans are also cheaper to produce, are grown in lower altitudes and are not served at Alterra.

After buying the coffee beans, two machines at Alterra — one large and one smaller — roast the beans to perfection. The larger machine automatically stirs the beans to get them evenly roasted. Alterra employees manually operate the smaller machine.

Both machines sit in front of the coffee bar area in Alterra on Prospect Avenue, where patrons can see the beans roasted while drinking their beverage of choice. The machines are heated with gas, and the temperatures vary depending on the type of coffee bean.

“Some (beans) taste better when lighter or darker, but that’s something we decide,” says Liu.

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