Coffee industry news
We’re proud of the fact we buy our coffee directly from the farmers. For us, it’s the right thing to do, and that’s why we highlight it right on our coffee bags.
Through direct trade, we’re involved in the journey of our coffees from harvest to home.
The commodity coffee problem
The traditional commodity coffee supply chain is broken. The cost of producing coffee for farmers is often more than they get paid, meaning they make a loss on most of their harvests.
The problem is that they own the farms, so they’re trapped in an industry that leaves them financially vulnerable. A lot are struggling with fluctuating commodity prices and difficult weather conditions due to climate change.
The direct trade solution
Direct trade means we go straight to the source to deal directly with farmers. This cuts out many of the steps and middlemen, like exporters, importers, and brokers, that you find in the usual hands-off supply chain approach.
Through trading directly with farms, we can build lasting relationships with the farmers who grow the coffee we sell, rather than some far-removed middleman. It means paying those farmers a fair price that reflects their hard work and expertise.
It also ensures better transparency, quality control, and sustainability in the coffee supply chain. Promoting ethical practices and environmental stewardship.
The coffee we buy is already some of the best in the world, but direct trade means we can help the farmers we work with to make the quality of their coffee even better.
Simply? Better coffee. Plus the feel-good bonus of knowing your money is doing something worthwhile. But also, by helping the farmers we work with and building good relationships with them, it means your favourite coffees will return to the Pact Coffee Menu with each harvest.
An important part of our direct trade promise is always paying significantly more than the commodity market average. This isn’t part of some charitable mission or marketing gimmick, it’s simply a fair reflection of what speciality quality is worth on an open market.
In August 2023, the Fairtrade Minimum Price for coffee increased – from $1.40 per/lb to $1.80 per/lb of Arabica beans. So, we raised our minimum price to $2 per pound to cover this increase while recognising the extra $0.20 Fairtrade Premium.
To read more about why we did this, check out our blog post about it here.
Our Head of Coffee, Will Corby (thecaffienekid) heads out to origin to bring you some of the finest coffees on the planet. He’s an expert in his field and – since he’s a pretty nice guy – he has great relationships with the farmers we work with. It almost goes without saying, but he loves his job:
“I’m really proud of the impact we’re having at origin. It’s like nothing anyone else is doing. It’s hard to convey how much difference we’re making – and I’m not really an emotional guy – but when you’re out there seeing the difference to people’s lives and tasting the difference in their coffees, it’s pretty moving.”
Epiphanie Mukashyaka survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide which tragically took her husband’s life. She inherited his farm and began with small steps before training in speciality coffee.
From there, she used her knowledge to teach and develop her fellow local farmers and became the first woman to own a washing station in Rwanda. Today, she supports more than 4,608 farmers socially and economically with her cooperative – BufCoffee.
Because of the nature of direct trade, in autumn 2020, we gifted 36 cows to the local families surrounding BufCoffee to provide fertiliser, food, nutrition and an additional income source through milk.
Through direct trade – and Will’s relationships with farmers all over the world – we’re now helping to change the way the coffee industry works. And we’re improving the lives of the individuals who work within the industry while we’re at it.
It’s something we’re proud of and as someone who buys Pact Coffee, it’s something you’re helping out with too. So thank you. If this is something you’re interested in then keep an eye out for more direct trade in action stories coming soon…
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We’re proud of the fact we buy our coffee directly from the farmers. For us, it’s the right thing to do, and that’s why we highlight it right on our coffee bags.
Through direct trade, we’re involved in the journey of our coffees from harvest to home.
The commodity coffee problem
The traditional commodity coffee supply chain is broken. The cost of producing coffee for farmers is often more than they get paid, meaning they make a loss on most of their harvests.
The problem is that they own the farms, so they’re trapped in an industry that leaves them financially vulnerable. A lot are struggling with fluctuating commodity prices and difficult weather conditions due to climate change.
The direct trade solution
Direct trade means we go straight to the source to deal directly with farmers. This cuts out many of the steps and middlemen, like exporters, importers, and brokers, that you find in the usual hands-off supply chain approach.
Through trading directly with farms, we can build lasting relationships with the farmers who grow the coffee we sell, rather than some far-removed middleman. It means paying those farmers a fair price that reflects their hard work and expertise.
It also ensures better transparency, quality control, and sustainability in the coffee supply chain. Promoting ethical practices and environmental stewardship.
The coffee we buy is already some of the best in the world, but direct trade means we can help the farmers we work with to make the quality of their coffee even better.
Simply? Better coffee. Plus the feel-good bonus of knowing your money is doing something worthwhile. But also, by helping the farmers we work with and building good relationships with them, it means your favourite coffees will return to the Pact Coffee Menu with each harvest.
An important part of our direct trade promise is always paying significantly more than the commodity market average. This isn’t part of some charitable mission or marketing gimmick, it’s simply a fair reflection of what speciality quality is worth on an open market.
In August 2023, the Fairtrade Minimum Price for coffee increased – from $1.40 per/lb to $1.80 per/lb of Arabica beans. So, we raised our minimum price to $2 per pound to cover this increase while recognising the extra $0.20 Fairtrade Premium.
To read more about why we did this, check out our blog post about it here.
Our Head of Coffee, Will Corby (thecaffienekid) heads out to origin to bring you some of the finest coffees on the planet. He’s an expert in his field and – since he’s a pretty nice guy – he has great relationships with the farmers we work with. It almost goes without saying, but he loves his job:
“I’m really proud of the impact we’re having at origin. It’s like nothing anyone else is doing. It’s hard to convey how much difference we’re making – and I’m not really an emotional guy – but when you’re out there seeing the difference to people’s lives and tasting the difference in their coffees, it’s pretty moving.”
Epiphanie Mukashyaka survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide which tragically took her husband’s life. She inherited his farm and began with small steps before training in speciality coffee.
From there, she used her knowledge to teach and develop her fellow local farmers and became the first woman to own a washing station in Rwanda. Today, she supports more than 4,608 farmers socially and economically with her cooperative – BufCoffee.
Because of the nature of direct trade, in autumn 2020, we gifted 36 cows to the local families surrounding BufCoffee to provide fertiliser, food, nutrition and an additional income source through milk.
Through direct trade – and Will’s relationships with farmers all over the world – we’re now helping to change the way the coffee industry works. And we’re improving the lives of the individuals who work within the industry while we’re at it.
It’s something we’re proud of and as someone who buys Pact Coffee, it’s something you’re helping out with too. So thank you. If this is something you’re interested in then keep an eye out for more direct trade in action stories coming soon…
