Our Direct Trade Model
Good coffee begins with good ethics. We are working closely with people in parts of the world where the living standards are low. Naturally, we have a responsibility. This is why we have developed our own Direct Trade Model.The purpose of our Direct Trade Model is to ensure we get the best possible quality and that our farmers are rewarded for the extra work they put into producing this quality. It’s really quite simple: Better quality of life leads to better quality of coffee.
We have our own model because there are no alternatives that ensure the best coffee quality and social responsibility at the same time.
Our Direct Trade Model consists of four elements:
- We pay a quality premium directly to the individual farmer
- We seek long-term collaboration with these farmers with the purpose of developing our common product to the best possible quality.
- We show our customers the prices we pay the farmer for his coffee - which is always significantly above the Fair Trade price.
- We create a platform for the farmers to meet our customers so both parties can meet and learn more about each other’s approach to coffee and quality.
Why Fair Trade isn’t enough
Fair Trade is not enough to ensure both social responsibility and quality. On one side it is easy for roasteries to ensure the taste quality from their brokers and suppliers by paying a premium. But it is difficult, and often impossible, for consumers to know if this premium benefits the actual coffee farmers.
On the other side the Fair Trade / FLO system ensures a minimum payment to the producer co-operatives. But the Fair Trade system has two limitations in getting the highest possible quality. First, single farmers who are not organized in a cooperative cannot be certified. Second, the Fair Trade system does not reward the particular farmers who are doing an extra effort to deliver a better quality for the extra work.
This is why we use our own Direct Trade Model!
See what other roasteries who work with Direct Trade have to say at: