Sourcing & Sustainability

 

we believe in sustainability.

 

if all parts of a supply chain aren’t beneficial to all the people and land involved, then the end product is not sustainable. that’s it. simple as that.

 

when we began roasting, we were looking for coffees that could be traced back to a specific mill, a farm, or even a cooperative. we thought that was a good start. at least if we knew where the coffee came from, we could be assured that the farmer who grew that coffee was paid a fair price for it. right?

 

well, maybe. in any case, that’s certainly not the whole story.

 

as we continue to grow and evolve as a roaster, we realize that it’s going to take a lot more effort on our part to source sustainable coffee. sure, knowing where the coffee comes from is a good start. but how can we verify the farmer was paid a good price? that the wet mill and dry mill made enough money from processing to be successful? that the pickers were treated fairly and paid fairly for their labor? how can we do all this? really, it comes down to two parts:

 

first, our goal is to travel to origin as often as possible and visit the mills and farms from whom we buy coffee. by putting a pair of eyes on the ground (and sometimes finding our own coffees!), we often have the ability to verify firsthand the economic and physical conditions of every step of the supply chain. as we grow as a roaster, we will be able to travel more and more often, bringing you pictures, details, and the stories of the coffees we roast.

 

second, for the farms and mills we cannot visit, we rely on our importers to do the dirty work. we’ve developed great relationships with multiple importers, who understand what we’re trying to accomplish. They go to great lengths to help us find sustainable coffees, sourcing microlots (small lots of coffees traceable to a specific farm or group of farmers) and fair trade coffees.

 

at the end of the day, we want to make you feel good about the coffee you drink. we want you to know that everyone involved, from worker to farmer to miller to roaster, produced your coffee in a sustainable way, and will continue to do so for years to come.

 

we want you to know that the money you spent on your coffee made everyone’s lives a little bit better.

 

remember, by purchasing this coffee, you are just as much a part of this chain as we are.