Category: Markets

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.

82. Quality premiums at origin

Comments Off on 82. Quality premiums at origin

I have posted references here to some of the great coffee-drinking experiences I have had in the coffeelands over the past year. Beyond their travelogue value, those posts point to an underlying market trend that may make tight markets for quality coffee even tighter — the growing number of quality-focused coffeeshops in producing countries paying premiums for exceptional coffees.

78. “This is not what I fought for”

2010-08-05 Comments Off on 78. “This is not what I fought for”

Fair Trade organizations struggling to keep pace with the changing and increasingly rigorous requirements for Fair Trade Certification may be wondering how concerns over technical compliance have come to compete for their attention with efforts to ensure social impact.

77. The case for (social) reinvestment at origin

2010-08-03 Comments Off on 77. The case for (social) reinvestment at origin

Food Security Solutions revolved around hands-on workshops designed to reduce hunger in the coffeelands. It had little coffee-specific content and was not designed to conduct coffee-related business. But if the experience of one CRS partner organization is any indication, this kind of non-coffee activity can have a big influence on the