"Fair direct trade” means that all our coffee is purchased directly from farmers we know personally at prices that will sustain both a high quality of life for the farmer, coop members, and for workers on the farms far into the future.   Whether the farmer is a member of a coop or owns his own farm, we personally know all our farmers and are likely to sit down to dinner with their families!  The long-term relationships we build are a win-win for the farmers and for our company, and we truly look forward to the day when our children are partners with theirs in the coffee business.

In addition to trading fairly and directly, we also spend upwards of $1 million a year through our non-profit organization called "Community Aid" to build schools, health clinics, worker housing and much more in coffee communities around the world.

The "Direct Trade" process means that all of our coffee is direct, farm-to-cup coffee.  This is nothing new to us, but many new, high-end coffee roasters are advertising their coffee as "direct trade" farm-to-cup coffee and charging high prices for it.   We choose to blend our coffees, rather than sell by their single-farm estate name.  But the underlying coffees are premium, directly traded, farm-to-cup coffees. You'll taste the difference in quality that such a direct and long-term approach to coffee sourcing provides.

It is a lot of work to travel around the world, understand the farmers’ needs and costs of production, pay them a fairer than the so-called "fair trade" price, and ensure the worker community supporting the farm is happy and healthy.  But we wouldn’t do it any other way.

Read more about Fair Direct Trade & Community Aid here.