Tag Archives: transparency

A closer look at what a $2.75 /lb. FOB minimum price means

2017-03-13 Comments Off on A closer look at what a $2.75 /lb. FOB minimum price means

A few weeks ago, Kickapoo Coffee Roasters publicly committed to paying farmers in their supply chain a minimum of $2.75 FOB per lb. FOB (FOB stands for Free on Board, which means this is the price of the coffee ready for export) for all of Kickapoo’s green coffee purchases.  Their press release says that it […]

What’s in a name?

2016-02-23 Comments Off on What’s in a name?

What’s in a name?  Apparently, a whopping $9.56 per pound. In December 2015, that was the difference between the average retail price that select specialty roasters charged for lots that included growers’ names and the average retail price of those that didn’t, according to the folks behind Transparent Trade Coffee (TTC). Whoever they are.  (Am I the only one […]

311. Big news in coffee

2012-10-10 Comments Off on 311. Big news in coffee

I have been so busy preparing for and participating in Sustainable Harvest’s 10th annual Let’s Talk Coffee in Colombia last week that I am just getting caught up on some recent news in coffee. Here are some of the biggest stories in specialty coffee from the last month.

189. Exploring a “grey area” in coffee communications

2011-08-01 Comments Off on 189. Exploring a “grey area” in coffee communications

I started asking questions a few weeks ago about communication standards among Direct Trade roasters.   My series of posts on this issue did not generate much of a conversation here, but did prompt some very good offline discussion.  One of the best-known and best-regarded roasters in specialty coffee — let’s call this person “Sam” — […]

186. How direct is Direct Trade?

2011-07-12 Comments Off on 186. How direct is Direct Trade?

I posted some questions here in June regarding the standards for communication in Direct Trade.  Today I come back to those specific queries, which are not clearly addressed in the prevailing Direct Trade standards for communication. 

180. What is the standard for (disclosure in) Direct Trade?

2011-06-22 Comments Off on 180. What is the standard for (disclosure in) Direct Trade?

Over the past week or so, I have stumbled onto the websites of two different roasters who source coffee from a cooperative we support in Central America.  Both are well-regarded Direct Trade roasters.  Both have language on their websites that could be construed to suggest that they source all their coffees directly.  One of them […]

176. Counter Culture’s Direct Trade Transparency Report, take two

2011-06-13 Comments Off on 176. Counter Culture’s Direct Trade Transparency Report, take two

It is early June, which means that the rains are falling heavier now here in the coffeelands, and Counter Culture is releasing another Direct Trade Certified Transparency Report in the States to much well-deserved fanfare.  The report may generate less buzz in its sophomore season than it did last year as a rookie sensation, but […]

115. “The new coffee crisis”

2010-12-21 Comments Off on 115. “The new coffee crisis”

Last week I reflected on the implications of current market prices: the good, the bad and the ugly. This week, more comment on the current state of the market, starting with one Fair Trade roaster’s take on what it is calling “The New Coffee Crisis.”

110. Coffee quality: Fair Trade’s competitive advantage

2010-11-25 Comments Off on 110. Coffee quality: Fair Trade’s competitive advantage

Yesterday I suggested that Fair Trade has little to do with quality on the roasting and retail end of the coffee chain. On the sourcing end, however, I believe that there are elements of the Fair Trade model that help certain Fair Trade roasters get a leg up on the competition.