We Give A Fuck About Sustainable Coffee

Growing, importing, and selling coffee presents a number of sustainability challenges. Our partners at origin are the first to feel the effects of climate inaction. Our industry should feel a sense of urgency like never before. Here’s our journey to sustainable coffee;

In Nicaragua,

We partner with Expocamo, specialty coffee exporters who focus on direct-trade and traceable quality. They are committed to growing the grassroots of Nueva Segovia’s specialty coffee industry through sustainable agriculture and long-term thinking.

Expocamo works closely with small farmers to make practical changes. Teams of local agronomists and crop specialists help farmers increase quality as well as be more resilient as Nicaraguan rainy seasons become increasingly volatile.

In 2018, Expocamo announced a new certification “Certified Organic Specialty Coffee”:

  • The goal: allow small farmers to sell their organically-produced specialty beans as “certified organic”. This means they no longer need to pay for a costly “official” certification from the national cooperative.
  • The result: smallholder farmers are now rewarded for their efforts, while still maintaining traceability, quality control, and price autonomy.

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In Rwanda,

Twongerekawa Coko, our partner cooperative, makes several pragmatic decisions to increase the sustainability of their production;

  • Invest in an efficient machine washer to fuel the fermentation process at their washing station. They are now able to rely fully on naturally collected mountain runoff water to process all of their crop yields.
  • Spend the premium they receive from buyers on five community cows. Cow manure is perfect fertilizer for coffee trees in the region. It keeps the farmers’ soil healthy and regenerative.
  • Finally, increase the biodiversity of their member farms, by investing in shade tree planting. Shade trees protect coffee plants from excessive sunlight and wind. They provide sources of food and firewood for the community. They also reduce the need for cooking gas.

 

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In Transit,

To transport green coffee beans across continents creates a F-U-C-K-I-N-G massive carbon footprint.

Our sustainable import partner, This Side Up, works closely with their export partners to ensure they send shipments in the most efficient ways. For instance, we sent our first ever purchase of green beans from Rwanda in a container slated to leave port half-empty. Think of it as “piggy-backing” or “hitch-hiking.”

In Amsterdam,

We commit to removing plastic and using cans instead for our main packaging. Read more about why here.

We release our funky reusable cups to encourage our customers to ditch paper or plastic to-go cups and look good doing it.

We partner with Moma to make sure the fresh milk in all our creamy drinks comes from a local dairy farm by bike cooler. 

Finally, we basically deliver all of our Amsterdam-based orders by bike using recycled packaging.

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