The Blog

54. El Salvador investing in renovation

2010-06-04 Comments Off on 54. El Salvador investing in renovation

Last week, El Salvador’s president announced a federal program to subsidize the renovation of the country’s coffee fields by replacing aging coffee trees with seedlings. It is a rare and welcome case of government investment in region where the phrase abandono total (no translation necessary) is the most common answer I get from smallholder coffee farmers when I ask them about state support for the coffee sector. (The timing couldn’t have been better — days later Tropical Storm Agatha rolled into Central America, destroying coffee and other crops and creating an immediate need for renovation.)

53. This is what transparency looks like

2010-06-03 Comments Off on 53. This is what transparency looks like

Counter Culture Coffee made a stir recently when it released its Direct Trade Certified Transparency Report — a worthy accomplishment that broke new ground among Direct Trade roasters. The only thing I have seen that compares to this level of transparency is Fair Trade Proof — a radical approach to transparency developed by Fair Trade pioneer Cooperative Coffees.

52. Disasters cause more than $100 million in coffee losses in Guatemala

2010-06-02 Comments Off on 52. Disasters cause more than $100 million in coffee losses in Guatemala

The National Coffee Association here in Guatemala today said that the eruption of the Pacaya Volcano and Tropical Storm Agatha — two natural disasters that hit Guatemala last week — together will reduce coffee exports in 2010-2011 by 121.9 million pounds. By my calculations, that is more than $100 million in lost coffee revenues for Guatemalan farmers.

51. Guatemala gets pounded (again)

2010-06-01 Comments Off on 51. Guatemala gets pounded (again)

Last Thursday, the Pacaya Volcano erupted. Then the next day, Tropical Storm Agatha rolled in, destroying lives, homes, bridges, roads and — yes — coffee. The storm is a reminder that all the hard work of smallholder farmers to produce high-quality coffees for the discerning specialty market can be swept away overnight.

50. Final thoughts (for now) on Direct Trade

2010-05-31 Comments Off on 50. Final thoughts (for now) on Direct Trade

The price paid to smallholder farmer organizations is often the primary point of comparison different trading models. Unfortunately, a lack of precision can make these comparisons miselading.

49. More perspectives on Direct Trade

2010-05-27 Comments Off on 49. More perspectives on Direct Trade
49. More perspectives on Direct Trade

The Fair Trade v. Direct Trade debate — to the extent that people are still having it — is fueled by caricatures of each approach that may reflect some grain of truth but ultimately misrepresent the realities of both.

48. Perspectives on Direct Trade

2010-05-24 Comments Off on 48. Perspectives on Direct Trade
48. Perspectives on Direct Trade

I am still trying to understand how Direct Trade works on the ground, and how we, as a development agency working to promote more sustainable and fair trading models, should advise smallholder farmers to approach it. As part of my own ongoing education in Direct Trade, I have been seeking out different perspectives on Direct Trade and finding plenty of good resources.

47. “Getting to yes” (and beyond price and quality)

2010-05-20 Comments Off on 47. “Getting to yes” (and beyond price and quality)

I read the bestselling book Getting to Yes for a course in negotation I took during graduate school.  I don’t recall the book’s nuances, but some of its core principles have stuck with me, like moving beyond a party’s position to explore its underlying interests, and inventing new fields of engagement in which win-win solutions […]

46. How far can quality take a trading relationship?

2010-05-17 Comments Off on 46. How far can quality take a trading relationship?

For smallholder farmers, getting to the outer bounds of the quality spectrum — and staying there — is hard work. The marginal return on that effort — especially in a high market — may be negligible. So while we continue to promote a holistic approach to quality from the seedling to the mill, we are also continually asking ourselves how far to ride the wave of upward pressure on quality coming from the market end of the chain.

45. What are coffee companies investing in at origin?

2010-05-13 Comments Off on 45. What are coffee companies investing in at origin?

Over the past week and a half, I have been posting on the issue of how coffee companies are investing at origin.  Today: what they are investing in, and how that may be changing.