We are building a community of specialty roasters and coffee producers who are working toward a transparent, equitable and sustainable model of coffee trade. As the coffee chain has many layers, it can be difficult to bring all parties together but we believe it is not only possible to do so, but is mutually beneficial to all concerned, both from a quality perspective and, just as importantly, for transparent and equitable business practice.
As we are looking to have everyone actively participate in this project, we are committed to facilitating long-term partnerships between roaster and producer. This means that we will not be offering “spot coffees” in recognition of the unique needs of each party. We understand there are different regional and taste preferences for every roaster and if we have developed good relationships for a region you are interested in, we can facilitate connections between you and quality-focused producers.
In practice, this means we have responsibilities both to roasters and producers: a transparent pricing structure, transport that is as direct as possible, open communication amongst all parties and follow through on commitments made. In order for this community to function, responsibilities flow in all directions. For a participating producer, this means fulfillment of agreements and for a participating roaster, this means concrete commitments to coffees. Roasters looking to receive the freshest coffee in the volumes required need to communicate commitment to coffee they want to buy in a timely manner. This in turn enables us to book coffee from producers early enough in the season that we are all assured of final delivery.
We are currently working on this online extension of the community where every party will have access to one another. As such, our goal is to have a multi-lingual website. Robert already speaks Spanish and Bjørnar will soon too - look for a Spanish version of this site in the future. In addition to our website, we are also on twitter and facebook.
We are very much looking forward to working with you on this exciting project. Please contact Melanie about how you can be involved.