and long-term viability of the producers.”
Despite Nomad Coffee Group’s
individual commitment to its producers,
Craig believes collective action is
required from the world’s largest coffee
buyers to address coffee prices.
“Nomad Coffee Group is a fair-size
business, but we don’t make a blip
on the world as far as global coffee
volume goes,” he says. “The major
players who sell commodity coffee on
an international scale need to make a
stand and take the lead.”
Ona Coffee has also not let
falling coffee prices impact the way
it does business.
“We are not paying the farmers we
work with a smaller premium than we
were last year. I don’t think we should just
because we can,” Sasa says. “We are kind
of ignoring what’s happening with the
C Market and rewarding producers for
quality if they produce it, and if they’re
not, working with them to improve it.”
Sasa believes helping smaller
producers improve their coffee quality
makes them less reliant on the C Market
and does this through green bean trader
Project Origin. This began with a project
in 2015 to improve the coffee quality of
Finca El Arbol in Nicaragua.
“It was a commodity farm for more
than 100 years, producing 77- or 78-point
coffees. The owner decided it was too
hard, and we were silly enough to take
up this project,” Sasa says. “It’s proved
difficult, but with a great team and
carbonic maceration processing, in
four years, we’ve turned this farm from
commodity to specialty.”
Sasa says while the whole
industry needs to address low coffee
prices, roasters – especially in Australia –
are responsible for raising awareness.
“If we can have influential
roasters talking more about it, who
believe in supporting producers,we can make consumers more
aware,” Sasa says. “Each one of us
depends on what happens at farms.”PROMOTING
EXCELLENCE
As well as purchasing its coffee using
high quality-based differentials and fixed
price contracts, Campos Coffee’s Will
believes promoting “luxury coffees”
from auctions like the Cup of Excellence
and Best of Panama can help producers
receive higher prices.
“This brings awareness to how
coffee can taste significantly better
than the average cup of coffee you find
through commodity,” he says. “These
competitions have shown farmers they
can find a market for their hard work.
And they make the news. When you
sell a coffee for US$803 per pound, it
gets in the papers. That makes people
look up and see that not all coffee tastes
and is worth the same.”
By promoting the best of the best,
Will hopes raising the reputation ofcoffee will cause consumers to stop
viewing it as a commodity.
“In much the same way as wine,
probably in the 80s or 90s, people
became aware of how much better
Bordeaux-produced wine was than your
typical red wine,” he says. “Hopefully,
that’s happening in coffee, but we have
to keep pushing and talking about it.”
Will says if industry bodies do not
soon take action, the opposite will
happen instead.
“It’s about the future of coffee. If we
don’t get involved, farmers will keep
leaving farms, and there will be nothing
for us to buy,” he says.
“If we don’t support those who
produce real specialty with the
appropriate price, we’ll lose all the
85-to-89-point scoring coffee. We’ll be
left with this big gap where we won’t be
able to find beautiful coffees to make
espresso or standard blends. You’ll only
have this dystopian future where there
is only expensive luxury coffee and
the rest is commodity.”Campos Coffee’s Will Young warns that low coffee prices
could have ramifications on the future of the specialty industry.and long-term viability of the producers.”
Despite Nomad Coffee Group’s
individual commitment to its producers,
Craig believes collective action is
required from the world’s largest coffee
buyers to address coffee prices.
“Nomad Coffee Group is a fair-size
business, but we don’t make a blip
on the world as far as global coffee
volume goes,” he says. “The major
players who sell commodity coffee on
an international scale need to make a
stand and take the lead.”
Ona Coffee has also not let
falling coffee prices impact the way
it does business.
“We are not paying the farmers we
work with a smaller premium than we
were last year. I don’t think we should just
because we can,” Sasa says. “We are kind
of ignoring what’s happening with the
C Market and rewarding producers for
quality if they produce it, and if they’re
not, working with them to improve it.”
Sasa believes helping smaller
producers improve their coffee quality
makes them less reliant on the C Market
and does this through green bean trader
Project Origin. This began with a project
in 2015 to improve the coffee quality of
Finca El Arbol in Nicaragua.
“It was a commodity farm for more
than 100 years, producing 77- or 78-point
coffees. The owner decided it was too
hard, and we were silly enough to take
up this project,” Sasa says. “It’s proved
difficult, but with a great team and
carbonic maceration processing, in
four years, we’ve turned this farm from
commodity to specialty.”
Sasa says while the whole
industry needs to address low coffee
prices, roasters – especially in Australia –
are responsible for raising awareness.
“If we can have influential
roasters talking more about it, who
believe in supporting producers,
we can make consumers more
aware,” Sasa says. “Each one of us
depends on what happens at farms.”PROMOTING
EXCELLENCE
As well as purchasing its coffee using
high quality-based differentials and fixed
price contracts, Campos Coffee’s Will
believes promoting “luxury coffees”
from auctions like the Cup of Excellence
and Best of Panama can help producers
receive higher prices.
“This brings awareness to how
coffee can taste significantly better
than the average cup of coffee you find
through commodity,” he says. “These
competitions have shown farmers they
can find a market for their hard work.
And they make the news. When you
sell a coffee for US$803 per pound, it
gets in the papers. That makes people
look up and see that not all coffee tastes
and is worth the same.”
By promoting the best of the best,
Will hopes raising the reputation ofcoffee will cause consumers to stop
viewing it as a commodity.
“In much the same way as wine,
probably in the 80s or 90s, people
became aware of how much better
Bordeaux-produced wine was than your
typical red wine,” he says. “Hopefully,
that’s happening in coffee, but we have
to keep pushing and talking about it.”
Will says if industry bodies do not
soon take action, the opposite will
happen instead.
“It’s about the future of coffee. If we
don’t get involved, farmers will keep
leaving farms, and there will be nothing
for us to buy,” he says.
“If we don’t support those who
produce real specialty with the
appropriate price, we’ll lose all the
85-to-89-point scoring coffee. We’ll be
left with this big gap where we won’t be
able to find beautiful coffees to make
espresso or standard blends. You’ll only
have this dystopian future where there
is only expensive luxury coffee and
the rest is commodity.”CamposCoffee’sWill Youngwarnsthat lowcoffeeprices
could have ramifications onthefutureof thespecialty industry.