Producers.
We take active steps at the producer level to buy and support sustainable
coffees. Quantifying the sustainability of our producing partners is difficult as
country to country the practices surrounding coffee production differ.
However, we believe that sustainability and quality go together, and have long
been interested in purchasing coffees that reinforce this concept. There are
several avenues through which we pursue this.
We pay premiums that producers use to build drying beds, to purchase
organic fertilizers, among other small initiatives that work towards
sustainability. For many producers, sustainability is much more than just an
industry buzzword, but is a way to work towards coffee production supporting
their families and communities for years to come.
Another way we do this is through purchasing natural and honey processed
coffees that yield less acidic runoff. This helps protect the integrity of ground
waters, and also requires less water for processing. Our coffee lineup regularly
features coffees that utilize these methods.
Our Relationship coffee model reinforces our desire to work regularly with
producers that are consistently putting out excellent coffees and also that are
actively working towards practices that cultivate long term production on their
farms. Coffee production is truly a long game. Sustainable practices on the
farm level help make this a reality, both for financial and agricultural stability.