Our coffee buying approach

Cultivating strategic long-term partnerships that build collaborative supply chains

Jerry' (right) - agronomer from Siruma (our key export partner in Colombia) and Johny (left) - one of the growers from the San Lorenzo community whose coffee we have been buying continuously since 2019.

Intentional sourcing of the green coffee we roast is at the heart of what we do. Our green buying philosophy is rooted in quality, sustainability and long-term mutually beneficial partnerships.

In coffee there is no one size fits all scenario nor a blueprint that can be replicated across different origin countries. Each region (sometimes even within one country) has their own specific structures, tradition, systems and challenges. We believe in understanding the specifics and working with the right partners to have the best possible impact in growing communities and support sustainable development.

Working with ethical export and import partners

Visiting the Amucaflome Association in Tolima during out trip with Siruma. Siruma’s agronomer - Pilar (on the left) - visits the group regularly to provide support they need, in the fields as well as with the organisational aspects of working well as an association.

Intermediaries are necessary and good “middlemen” can have a huge impact. Majority of the coffee we buy is cultivated by small-holder farmers rather than large estates. Generally their farms are between 0.5 and 15 hectares in size, the average being 1-3 hectares, often based in very remote areas. We work with a small number of carefully selected export and import partners who are best positioned to understand local contexts, provide ongoing relevant support to growers and quality assurance to us. They are also able consolidate lots to fill containers ready for export which we wouldn’t be able to do give our size. Their support with logistics, financing, technical assistance and other support in growing communities is invaluable.

We have purposefully chosen to work with those partners who share our core values and commitment to quality and sustainability; supporting growers, improving livelihoods & promoting environmental protection. Aside of providing technical assistance and ensuring fair pay for their coffee with appropriate premiums for quality, many of our export partners also invest in social and environmental projects to meet sustainable development goals.

Showing up, learning & sharing

Visiting our new partners (since 2024) Finca Churupampa and the producer group of La Coipa village in Peru. On the left Lenin Tocto (from Finca Churupampa) and on the right Dona Flor, La Coipa women comittee’s representative.

To gain a thorough understanding of our supply chains we travel to origin roughly once or twice per year. The goal is to gradually visit all our supply partners, spend time with them and get acquainted with the growers behind our coffees. Learn about their processes, goals and hopes for the future but also to understand struggles and challenges. And equally, to share openly about our operations, our markets and customers. This is what cultivating relationships means to us. In turn, this help us improve how we do our job as coffee buyers and roasters. Be a fair and reliable business partners to our suppliers whilst delivering great quality coffee to our customers.

Time and time again we are astonished by the resilience, resourcefulness and kindness of coffee growing communities. Producing great coffee is incredibly hard and we never take for granted how special it is to be able to enjoy a delicious cup!