As coffee farmers face tough economic challenges due to climate change and inflation, Fairtrade minimum pricing is a vital safety net and a significant force for good, and it’s down to the fantastic work of the brilliant team at Fairtrade International.
But, put simply, it’s not compatible with our sourcing model.
Fairtrade requires that growers join cooperatives to get certified. This doesn’t work for many of the small, independent growers we’ve forged long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with since we began – and we’re sticking by them.
For some of these growers, becoming Fairtrade certified would be too costly, require leaving their farms, and, ultimately, come at the expense of quality.
So we instead pay every grower a minimum of $2 per lb of coffee. This covers the $1.80/lb Fairtrade minimum price, plus the $0.20 Fairtrade Premium. In many instances, we pay growers significantly more than this.