Core Value Blog Series: (Ethically Traded Coffee)

In an effort to ensure fair prices for international coffee farmers, our local roaster works towards ensuring purchases from coffee brokers utilizing Direct Trade practices.  From our coffee shop’s inception we have striven to be ethical and intentional in learning about where our products originate.  Wishing to be fair and transparent about our product we initially researched the Fair Trade coffee model, but became frustrated with several aspects of this model including the certification process and the amount of middle men involved. While the Fair Trade model is not necessarily a bad model, we quickly realized it may not be the best model for us to pursue.  In Direct Trade practices the coffee broker buys directly from the farmer building relationships that are beneficial to both parties while eliminating the middle men who require their own profit margins.  Because of this the Direct Trade model offers the farmer a higher price than he would normally receive, and it also allows for greater attention to be given towards the quality of the coffee produced.