Does Producing Coffee Mean Living in Poverty? Examining The Data
With coffee prices falling to a 12-year low earlier this year, the economic sustainability of coffee has been left in more doubt than ever. We...
Sustainability
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March 20, 2023
How does the timing of capital affect coffee farmers?
As with any agricultural commodity, capital and access to finance are essential for coffee farmers. Moreover, access to capital becomes even more important when we consider that some producers have been facing financial challenges for many years. Coffee is a seasonal product, which means that it is harvested at a certain time every year. In turn, coffee producers are usually paid in a lump sum once a year when they… read more
As with any agricultural commodity, capital and access to finance are essential for coffee farmers. Moreover, access to capital becomes even more important when we consider that some producers have been facing financial challenges for many years. Coffee is a… read more
How Can Blockchain Empower Coffee Producers?
Every time I open the tech section of my go-to news platform, blockchain is there. Banking, produce, charity, politics… it seems like there’s nothing this...
Sustainability in Coffee: What Are The Main Issues?
Sustainability has become a buzz word in recent years, but the long-term economic, environmental, and social health of the coffee industry are vital considerations. Reduced...
Can We Improve Efficiency & Quality in Coffee Picking?
Do you want to produce high-quality coffee that should result in higher prices? Or do you want to efficiently produce coffee, reducing investment and so...
Disease & Deforestation: The Cost of Coffee in Madagascar
In Madagascar, coffee is the fuel that powers everyone through their day – but it comes at a cost. This island off the Mozambique coast...
What Should We Have Learned From The 2001 Coffee Price Crisis?
When the international price for coffee (or C-Price) fell below US $1 per pound in August, many were alarmed. Even outside of the industry, the...
The Daily Life of Madagascar’s Coffee Vendors
In Madagascar, coffee is a national obsession and a big part of daily life. At its heart are the street vendors who dedicate their lives...
A Broken Coffee Market: Why Specialty Farmers Are Going Bankrupt
Murray Cooper was one of the most famous specialty coffee farmers in Ecuador. I’m using the past tense because he’s now bankrupt. Murray did specialty coffee...
When Producers Roast Their Own Coffee, Green Quality Improves
Endless mountain ranges, coffee trees drooping with ripe-red cherries, and golden coffee beans drying on raised beds: this is what we often think of when...
Examining coffee production costs across Latin America
A coffee at your local café might cost US $4.00, but this doesn’t tell you how much green coffee is required to buy and produce...
How Can Long-Term Relationships Increase Sustainability at Origin?
“We need to think that the coffee ecosystem is composed of 20 million farmers,” Michele Cannone tells me. As Head of Global Marketing Foodservice at...
Coffee Barometer 2018: It’s Time for Less Talk, More Action
As I read the last sentence of the 2018 Coffee Barometer report, it left me thinking of the Honduran phrase “tilin-tilin y nada de paletas.”...
Volcán De Fuego & How The Coffee Community Can Support Guatemala
75 Guatemalans have died. More are missing. And thousands have been displaced, forced to leave behind their homes and crops. We know Guatemala for its...
3 Things a Coffee Farmer Would Like You to Do
Coffee is not just coffee. Our favorite beverage can be our morning pick-me-up, a precious moment to ourselves after work, a long chat with an...
Green Coffee Pricing Transparency Is Critical (And Complicated)
There are real concerns about the future of specialty coffee. And one of the most pressing is the incredibly low incomes earned by coffee producers....
Forward vs Spot Coffee Buying: The Pros & Cons
Do you know what coffee you’ll be selling next season? Or will your team be ringing around, requesting samples, negotiating prices, and hoping that you...