Reflecting on Our Journey and Looking Forward

Dear Partners and Customers,

As we reflect on over a decade of operations in North America, we are deeply grateful for your continued support and collaboration. Our mission at Collaborative Coffee Source (CCS) has been marked by a commitment to transparency, quality, and building lasting relationships within the coffee value chain. Despite significant challenges, our ambition remains steadfast.

Our Vision and Beginnings

In 2011, we aimed to transform the traditional coffee trading model by fostering trust and long-term trade relationships between coffee farmers and roasters through a more direct and transparent approach. We traveled to coffee origins, gathered comprehensive information from the producing communities, assessed the quality of the lots, and curated selections to offer roasters. We believed that early commitments from roasters would benefit both parties, ensuring access to top-quality coffee while supporting farmers through timely decisions.

In South and Central America, we established relationships with pioneers empowering farmers to access the specialty market. These trailblazers not only presented uniquely produced lots but also shared compelling stories of their communities and products. In East Africa, including Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, we adapted our approach to local contexts and traditions.

The Importance of Quality and Information

Defining the value of coffee by collecting detailed information and assessing its quality has been the cornerstone of "Specialty Coffee." However, it remains one of the most challenging and time-consuming aspects of our work due to language barriers, diverse communication methods, trust issues, and traditional practices. Despite these hurdles, we are convinced that by helping farmers and suppliers provide comprehensive information about their product and its quality, we can add significant value and differentiate specialty coffee from commodity-traded coffee, ultimately justifying better prices for superior quality.


Innovative Solutions and Future Outlook

To address these complexities, we have developed a tech platform designed to streamline processes in the coffee supply chain and enhance our operations. This platform serves as a marketplace connecting coffee farmers, millers, suppliers, and roasters, providing real-time data and insights to improve decision-making and ensure high-quality coffee reaches roasters effectively. Our platform ensures transparency at every step, from the presentation of coffee by farmers or suppliers to the assessments and scores/notes made by roasters, building trust and incentivizing active engagement from all stakeholders.

Looking ahead, our tech platform represents a crucial tool for enhancing our operations and achieving our objectives. By leveraging this platform, we can improve efficiency, ensure transparency, and scale our business sustainably, benefiting everyone and aligning with our mission to support coffee farmers and deliver high-quality coffee to our customers.

Conclusion

We are proud of the relationships we have built and the impact we have made in the coffee trade. The partnerships we have established across the globe exemplify our commitment to quality and sustainability. Despite the obstacles we have faced, we remain dedicated to our mission and are optimistic about the future.

We are seeking strategic partnerships with stakeholders in the value chain who are willing to leverage the vast experience of our team and the tech platform we've built, believing we together can steer CCS in North America towards a successful future. Your support and cooperation are invaluable as we work together to realize the full potential of our mission and continue to make a positive impact in the coffee industry.

In the coming weeks and months, we look forward to sharing more about what this will mean and what it looks like. Stay tuned.


Sincerely,
The CCS Team

Introducing Collective Bean: A Model for Trust and Traceability

CCS was first introduced to Collective Bean through a mutual colleague as a simple “you should meet and explore possibilities" suggestion. As a small sourcing company, we are very selective in where we work, and more importantly, how we work. So, when it comes to committing to working with a new supplier, we are often taking our time, deciding over the course of multiple harvest cycles. This allows us to weigh the risks and rewards and to iron out any complications inherent in exporting from a specific origin. Those familiar with Peru’s coffee exportation will know that this origin presents unique challenges, so we approached this new opportunity with Collective Bean with particular care. However, there are instances when opportunities arise and unfold so naturally there is no need for hesitation.

Over the course of several discussions with Cynthia Landeo (Founder and CEO) and Alberto Rivas (COO and Q Grader), we discovered that Collective Bean not only adheres to their values of Transparency, Flexibility, Collectivity, and Shared Knowledge, aligning with our own values, but also shares the same standards for sourcing, processing and sorting, communication, and ethical business practices.

We arranged to meet Cynthia and Alberto in Boston, with a plan to cup some Type Samples. The experience exceeded our expectations, not only in terms of coffee quality but also in the remarkable resilience of the coffees, even as past crop lots. Alongside the lots, Cynthia presented comprehensive data they had collected from the various regions of Peru, showcasing a dedication to their foundational pillars.

Detailed lot information is often challenging to obtain, especially when working with micro-lot producers in vast and remote regions. Collective Bean's proactive approach to transparency made our process of due diligence immensely quicker. It was clear that they understood how communicating farm data and lot information at the start adds even more value to their already outstanding product.

With an average of 63% of income distribution allocated to coffee collection, Cynthia has structured a supply chain that prioritizes the producer.

Cynthia told us “I got into [coffee exportation] because I wanted to contribute to change the supply chain. I fell in love with coffee and coffee farmers and felt that my knowledge could help.” And she undoubtedly has. You can see the impact she, and Alberto, have had in every stage of the supply chain, improving the livelihoods of coffee farmers, providing them with the necessary support to sustain their operations, and making the international market accessible. The end result is a product that is traceable and a partnership characterized by trust.

We are so excited to share with you a selection of exceptional micro-lots from Manuel Marlo, Consuelo Rubio, and Bee Cause We Care 365, a non-profit organization that works with a group of coffee farmers on reforestation and bee keeping in the Machu Picchu area. The quality level and unique varietal profiles of these lots are a direct reflection of Peru's diverse landscape and micro-climates, as well as consistent joint efforts made by Collective Bean to invest in and support the Peruvian specialty coffee market.

From the Farm/Co-op specific PDF brochures they have self-produced to the interaction packed social media presence they have built on their Instagram (@collectivebean.peru), it is clear that Collective Bean, along with the farmers and co-operatives that they represent, form a special group aligned in building a promising future for the Peruvian specialty coffee market. We are incredibly lucky and grateful to have been given the opportunity to bring their coffee to the US and we look forward to working alongside Collective Bean to deliver the best, and most transparent and sustainable coffee we can from Peru.

CCS Goes to Peña Blanca

It’s been a long time coming for our return to origin. Far too long. I actually found myself filled with the type of exuberance I hadn’t felt since the days leading up to my first trip as a young coffee professional. On the one hand, I’m always excited to go. It’s an extremely privileged situation that far too few people are able to experience. It’s also the type of experience that, like the one I had, can cement the decision to commit to a career in coffee. That never stops happening and it never gets boring. But it is work if you’re doing it right. Oftentimes we see origin trips through the lens of social media while scrolling through the daily feed: smiling faces of farmers; perfectly angled, cinematic shots of cupping bowls being filled; and sprawling landscapes of mountainside farms. Everything looks perfect. But it’s what happens in between those photos that really matters.

The past two-plus years have been a seemingly endless uphill battle. Starting with lockdown and the complete halting of supply chains, labor shortages resulting from those lockdowns, and increasingly common instances of detrimental climatic events…the work has been endless. And it has had a double-edged sword feel when the easiest way to resolve issues of this magnitude is to be in the same room with your partners. When the ability to do that gets taken away, communication lines crumble, communicative efficiency falls, and you’re left behind the eight ball. We’re seemingly ever-connected to each other via social networks, email, and text messages, but that will never replace what can be done with two people being face to face.

All of this is to say, a lifetime later, we finally returned to origin. Peña Blanca, Honduras to be exact. And there was work to be done. Much of it. We were finally able to sit down in the same room with members of our longest running CCS relationship: The Moreno Family.

Our relationship with the Morenos dates back to 2006. In that time, we’ve had many iterations of a program with the producers, but given the volatility and hardships felt at the farm level these past years it was time again to create a new, more current agreement.

We had a long, detailed meeting in which each member of the Moreno family in attendance was able to explain their own personal situation. It really is eye-opening to hear from a group of producers so unified in their efforts to produce quality (when it comes to sharing capital, ideas, methods, facilities, etc), who are geographically connected, and yet still face very different situations when it comes to the cost of producing their coffee. Our plan is to get an updated “Cost of Production” outlook for the 2022 harvest during our next trip to Honduras in a couple months, but the initial numbers we were given ranged anywhere from $2.80-$3.50 cost of production. The reasons are nothing new. Scarce labor, increasing fertilizer costs, and increasing transport costs have all played a role in making coffee much more expensive to produce. Mix in the unfortunate weather patterns and you have less total yield to spread the fixed costs among.

Lastly, you may have heard of the mudslides that hit Santa Barbara and its surrounding regions back in February of 2021 (If you have not, see: https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuilding-coffee-families). Many families and partners of CCS were affected by the slides, the Morenos being no exception. The main road leading to their corner of El Cedral had been covered by a slide and was impassable. Thanks to donations from the amazing coffee community, some of the damage caused by the storm was funded to be repaired. But the damage from the storm was extensive, and the Morenos were laden with the cost of road repair. Yet another unforeseen expense that had a major impact.

A year later and you can still see the scarring from the slide on the photo above. The road has been renewed, but the remnants still blanket the area around it as a reminder of how quickly and easily things can change. And yet, like the road, the Morenos have weathered it all and are looking towards starting anew.

It was obvious, though, that it was time to do our part. After hours of discussion, we came to a new agreement for a pricing model going forward that was more beneficial, and more current. The Morenos said they felt this allowed them to reinvest in their farms, refine processes, and turn the focus to elevating their coffees to achieve the highest possible cup quality. We are excited for the next phase of the Moreno-CCS relationship and hope our partnership plays a role in the Morenos staying amongst the pinnacle of coffee in Honduras.

With a new agreement in place, we’ve now turned our attention to coffee-specific matters and will hopefully have some new and exciting offerings being rolled out next season. The coffees we tasted on this early harvest trip were fantastic once again. It’s good to see some things never change.

- Matt Hassell, Green Buyer & QC

CCS North America Transparency Report: Donation to The National Black Farmers Association

We are proud to announce our donation to The National Black Farmers Association (NBFA). NBFA is a non-profit organization representing African American farmers and their families in the United States. As an association, it serves tens of thousands of members nationwide. NBFA's education and advocacy efforts have been focused on civil rights, land retention, access to public and private loans, education and agricultural training, and rural economic development for Black and other small farmers. 

NBFA’s mission is to encourage the participation of small and disadvantaged farmers in gaining access to resources of state and federal programs administered by the United States Department of Agriculture. Since its inception, NBFA has been a national voice on the issue of farm subsidies, arguing that Black farmers are left out of the massive system of subsidies provided by the government. A 2007 report by Environmental Working Group found a widening gap between subsidies provided to white farmers and those provided to Black farmers.

Black Farmers protest outside the U.S. District Courthouse prior to a hearing on their class action lawsuit against the Department of Agriculture. John Francis Ficara

Historical Context: An Excerpt from “Black Farmers in America”

By JOHN FRANCIS FICARA and JUAN WILLIAM

Old, tangled roots tie Black Americans to the nation's farmland. Black labor on Southern plantations formed the backbone of the nation's first economy, an agricultural economy. The labor of enslaved Africans provided the cheap cotton that set in motion the textile factories at the beginning of the industrial age and the rise of the American economy to the largest in the world.

With the end of slavery, freed Blacks began a struggle of biblical proportions to gain land and enjoy the same economic rewards as whites. At the heart of that gospel lay the failed promise of "Forty Acres and a Mule," which had its genesis in General William T. Sherman's Special Field Order Number 15, issued on January 16, 1865. The general's command allowed former enslaved people to begin farming on land abandoned by fleeing Confederate soldiers. In March of that year, the Congress authorized General Sherman to rent out the land and supply as many plow mules as possible to the new farmers.

At that time, life for most of the four million freed Black people was desperate as they pushed away from the South and plantations with no clear idea of where to go and often with no food. In the words of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, "I was free, but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom — I was a stranger in a strange land." Many of the former enslaved people eventually returned to their old plantations, their spirits broken. They resumed working as field hands on farms, laboring under the same conditions as they had when they were enslaved.

In this atmosphere of fear, poverty, and confusion, the promise of "Forty Acres and a Mule" was seen as a sign of God's own deliverance. The offer created a sensation among the nation's Black population, which reacted as if Moses had parted the waters to the Promised Land. They could finally see a place in America where they could be self-sufficient and determine their own future. These newly liberated citizens generally had no resources or education, and farming was the one business that they knew firsthand. In the first six months after General Sherman offered the land to emancipated enslaved people, 40,000 Black people settled on more than 400,000 acres of farmland along the eastern coast, including the Sea Islands off South Carolina and coastland in Georgia and Florida. General Sherman gave speeches trumpeting this land as a first step for formerly enslaved people — a way to feed themselves and their families and even as a way to earn money by selling produce. As an added benefit, the rent they paid helped to support the Freedmen's Bureau.

But in May of 1865, the glimmer of hope faded even for the lucky Black people who had received land and an animal with which it could be plowed. President Lincoln had been assassinated, and his successor, Andrew Johnson, ordered General Sherman to return the land to its Confederate owners as part of the effort to rebuild relations between the federal government and the defeated South. Thus, the offer of "Forty Acres and a Mule" vanished into the status of legend, becoming a catch-phrase for all the broken promises the government has ever made to Black people.

Landowners at Last

Despite Johnson's decree, some former enslaved people made a way where there seemed to be none and obtained land to farm. To them, ownership of a farm meant more than owning a business: the deed to the land signified the end of their days as enslaved, as sharecroppers, as workers for someone else. It was true emancipation — no one could confuse an enslaved person with a landowner. To be a landowner meant status as a voter, taxpayer, and citizen. Thus, possession of land represented a defiant step toward racial equality with white farmers, who had constituted the heart of the ruling class in the early 1800s southland. Now, for the first time, Blacks controlled their own future and fate.

The land offered a promise to future generations, too. No matter what misfortune or oppression might come (short of God's wrath of drought and pestilence), the family could support itself — raise its own food, tend its own pigs and chickens, and pass on that security to children and grandchildren.

The farm, then, went beyond land and ownership. To a Black man or woman it was a ticket to self-sufficiency, as well as a sign of having arrived in the eyes of their neighbors and themselves. The Black farmer, working hard for his own, became the living symbol of the strong, independent Black man. Farming also allowed Black families to move into other businesses, from funeral homes to preaching to construction, and thus served as the bedrock of all Black wealth in America.

The Young People Have Left

Today, so few Black farmers remain that they are a rarity, specks of gold in a mine stripped bare long ago. The solitary, hard-pressed farmer still defiantly working his land has wrinkles not only from worry over money but from age: the young people have left. By 1994, 94 percent of the Black farmers remaining were over thirty-five years old, and 35 percent were over sixty-five. The people now remaining on the land demonstrate a fierce attachment to farming as a way of black life. One half of those with their hands still covered in the good earth a decade ago said farming was their principle occupation despite the low wages. Congresswoman Eva Clayton, a North Carolina Democrat, once told reporters that most of the remaining Black farmers are "farming out of tradition, now — not to make a living." Black people are no longer even the biggest minority group in the American farm business: Native Americans hold that honor, with 87 percent of the farmland operated by American minorities now in their hands.

PERU. Origin Coffee Lab Report

Check out CCS’ Peru partner’s work on the ground in their community, OCL report from 2019

Alex & Pepe

Origin Coffee Lab. Jaen, Cajamarca. Peru