Continuing in our blog series on the role sustainability plays in Enderly’s coffees, we are exploring the certifications and practices in the coffee industry. Arguably the most common kind of sustainability practice in coffee is Fair Trade, which is probably a phrase you’ve read or heard before.
Fair Trade Coffee
The Fair Trade certification aims to create equitable trading partnerships, ensuring that farmers receive fair prices for their coffee. This certification focuses on:
Fair Pricing: Farmers are paid a minimum price for their coffee, which covers the cost of sustainable production and provides a living wage.
Community Development: A portion of Fair Trade premiums goes towards community projects like education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
Environmental Sustainability: Fair Trade standards include criteria for environmentally friendly farming practices, such as reducing pesticide use and conserving water resources.
While good in theory, many small farms can’t afford this certification (keep in mind, small farms comprise over half of the industry). Fair Trade is a good thing to look for, but it will often only show up on bags from large coffee companies that may lack transparency in other ways.
According to fairtradecertified.org‘s Coffee Pricing Reports:
“The promise of “fair trade” is predicated on Producers’ (Coffee producers in this case) significant investment of time, energy, and financial resources into meeting the certification standards of fair trade.”
“And the evidence points to progress, but slow progress. 65% of Producer respondents reported that they only sell 30% of their coffee on fair trade terms.”
“Across all respondents, the common thread is the gap between the volume of fair trade coffee produced and the volume of fair trade coffee sold.”
-Fair Trade USATM
So- what does it look like for us to bridge that gap?
How do we make sure that the coffee farmers are valued for their sustainable efforts, without requiring them to take on risky and expensive certifications?
We’ve found that by building trustworthy relationships with our coffee farmers, all of those boxes can be checked. Our goal is to make specialty, high quality, and ethically produced coffees more accessible to everyday coffee lovers. Working directly with amazing coffee growers and co-ops (and other trusted partners in the industry with similar values), we’ve not only found this goal supports sustainable coffee practices, but it also promotes sustainable local growth as well!
An importer’s story (Meaningful, yet not fair trade)
Nelson Raul Amador, a fifth-generation coffee farmer from Honduras, founded De La Finca Coffee Importers to support his family and other small coffee producers. When he came to the United States to learn English, he was surprised to see how coffee connected so many people to each other in their daily lives.
Nelson quickly realized that, while coffee was sold at high prices in the U.S., the import system was complex. Coffee can pass through as many as 6-8 hands by the time it gets to the consumers. This leaves very little profit for the coffee farmers themselves. By eliminating middlemen and creating direct connections between producers and roasters, he ensures that producers receive fair compensation for their coffee and roasters receive high-quality, ethically sourced coffee. Additionally, Nelson's company reinvests in coffee-growing communities through long-term school projects and supports women-owned and operated farms.
We love our relationship with De La Finca and their management team in Honduras (Joel and Delmar), and we know you love their coffees. Our Honduras coffee is one of our best selling beans, so make sure you give it a try if you haven’t yet!
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