ETHICAL COFFEE Part 5 - The Most Ethical Consumption of Coffee

21 Sept 2017

What Is The Most Effective Process For Ethical Consumption?

The answer to the question “how can I ethically purchase or retail coffee?” is not to choose one method over another. The truth is that the most effective way to improve ethical standards in the industry is to use all the avenues available simultaneously.

Choosing to use only Fairtrade coffee, means that you are ignoring its limitations, but choosing to use only Direct Trade means you are focusing on improving the plight of the few, at the expense of the many.

We need organizations like Fairtrade to change things from the top down, to be involved in lobbying governments for better regulations and standards, and to use their brand power to keep the whole consumer market aware and engaged with the ethical movement. The moment consumers stop caring or buying ethical coffee, the more difficult progress becomes.

Reasons to Buy Fair Trade, Ethical Coffee Series, Crema Coffee Garage

However, we also need Direct Trade to change things from the bottom up, to be involved on a personal level with farmers, creating relationships built on trust and respect. Direct Trade ultimately improves transparency in operations and quality of product. The idea is that a ripple effect will then occur at a local level. The farmers involved may talk to his contacts in the local industry, who may want to get involved with the roaster he deals with.

Direct Trade, Ethical Coffee, Crema Coffee Garage

It is important to remember that whilst Fairtrade and Direct Trade are in motion, as well as a range of other organisations and initiatives, the entire industry still continues to operate through the free market and a roaster can certainly decide to (and most often will) use this method only. Bypassing any organized ethical coffee organization, when buying green beans, requires businesses to use brokers. A coffee broker may be working in the export business themselves, or be a stand-alone broker who uses a collection of exporters to arrange transactions.

The idea of this tri-method approach is that using both Fairtrade and Direct Trade equals a more ethical free market product. With pressure from both the top and the bottom of the supply chain, the industry as a whole is improved. This is the only true way to have your cake, eat the whole thing and still feel good about it.

How does Crema Coffee Garage Make a Difference?

We buy three different Certified Organic single origin green beans that make up one of our blends, the Montezuma Certified Organic blend, primarily sourced from Central American countries where organic farming practices are quite common. This provides a superior quality and flavour when roasitng.

We also use a range of different coffee brokers to supply our green beans in other blends and single origins. We are a specialty coffee roaster, and must use this method in order to have access to the highest grade of coffee available, especially when we are looking at specific flavour profiles.

Our business firmly believes in the importance of the ethical coffee movement. We are beginning down the pathway to Direct Trade and also using environmentally sustainable products to support our business and clients, such as BioPak and KeepCup.

KeepCup and Frank Green Reusbale Cups, Crema Coffee Garage, Ethical Coffee Series

We want to get our business to the stage where we are following the most effective ethical path, and that is to be involved in all of the different trade options at once. We are well on our way to achieving this with our Master Trainer/Head Coffee Purveyor and Head Roaster both working to become involved with Direct Trade. We hope to eventually make overseas trips to meet farmers and start building personal valuable relationships.

So in the not too distant future, Crema Coffee Garage will be buying and eating all the coffee cake – and feeling good about it too.

Written by Ravelle King, Cafe Support Manager at Crema Coffee Garage

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