What Is Fair Trade Coffee? A Guide for Specialty Roasters

Fair Trade Coffee ensures farmers earn at least a minimum price plus a social premium, giving them room to invest in schools, clinics, or farm equipment. Imagine swapping an impersonal commodity auction for a face-to-face handshake with growers. Whether you’re working with high-altitude Arabica beans from Colombia’s Huila (1,500–2,000 m), Costa Rica’s Tarrazú (1,200–1,700 m),[…]

What Is Direct Trade Coffee? A Guide to Sourcing with Purpose

At its heart, what is direct trade coffee? It's a sourcing philosophy built on a simple, powerful idea: a direct relationship between the coffee roaster and the coffee farmer. This model cuts out the traditional middlemen, allowing roasters like us at Cumbre Coffee to work hand-in-hand with growers, pay a premium for exceptional quality, and[…]