Responsible, Direct Trade Coffee..What is it?
For a while now, I have been meaning to talk to Tucson and our customers about what Direct Trade is, and how important it is to us as a company. Many of you have heard of Fair Trade Coffee, but Direct Trade (a term coined by one of our roasters, Intelligentsia) never quite gets the same attention. Basically Direct Trade is when a roaster is buying its green coffee directly with the farm/coop and eliminating any middleman or third party organization. The farms get more money, and the consumers get a much higher quality product.
As I was posting this, the question was posed to and answered by CoffeeGeek.com owner Mark, on Formspring.me, coincidentally..so as fate would have it, I will post the link to his answer. Another good explanation is located at Ethical Coffee.net.
We use both Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea Inc as well as PT’s Coffee for all of our coffee offerings. Both of these companies engage in Direct Trade, and we believe, are leading the pack into fresh new territory. We are honored to be serving their coffee, and do the best we can to serve it with highest standards possible.
Below you will find some multimedia on both of these companies, and how they are doing their part to make a difference.
First the links to each companies Direct Trade program “narrative”, Intelligentsia and PT’s Coffee.
Taller de Cafe Extraordinario from Intelligentsia Coffee
“PT’s Coffee Gombe Coffee Project” Part 1
“PT’s Coffee Gombe Coffee Project” Part 2
“PT’s Coffee Gombe Coffee Project” Part 3
“PT’s Coffee Gombe Coffee Project” Part 4
Responsible, sustainable partnerships with the growers of the coffee we drink is essential to being a good human being, and we commend those who participate in models that actually work. From seed to cup, we need to recognize how important all of this REALLY is. This is a top priority for Avenue Coffee.
