Tag Archives: SCAA

151. Water for coffee

2011-04-18 Comments Off on 151. Water for coffee

With SCAA right around the corner, I revive my annual lament about the exclusive focus at the show on the quality of the water that goes into your coffee.  Last year, I celebrated the water that doesn’t go into your coffee.  Smallholder cooperatives all across the coffeelands are adopting water-efficient post-harvest technologies to reduce their […]

150. What makes a cooperative special?

2011-04-15 Comments Off on 150. What makes a cooperative special?

In conversations with roasters and importers, I have often referred to farmer organizations as “special.”  The term is spectacularly imprecise, since the sources of “specialness” can be so diverse.  It is important for cooperatives to articulate clearly just what makes them so special, however, since roasters are not just searching for quality coffee, but quality […]

123. Preview of coming attractions

2011-02-08 Comments Off on 123. Preview of coming attractions

The SCAA’s annual Symposium and 23d annual expo are right around the corner.  Both events will screen a new documentary titled “After the Harvest: Hunger in the Coffeelands.”  Get a sneak preview here. A note from the producers: “This film was created, with support from the Coffee Trust and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, to educate […]

84. SCAA’s Philanthropic Activity Survey

2010-08-19 Comments Off on 84. SCAA’s Philanthropic Activity Survey

I was pleasantly surprised on Monday when I received — along with every other member of the SCAA, I presume — a link to the SCAA’s Philanthropic Activity Survey. It is encouraging that the industry is beginning a broader dialogue within its membership about spending at origin, and seeking more information about on-the-ground partnerships in the coffeelands that work.

49. More perspectives on Direct Trade

2010-05-27 Comments Off on 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.