Simple Coffee: "Better Trade" and Honest Organic Values
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 09.27.06
Founded by three 23 year-old entrepreneurs, Simple Coffee is based on the principles of “better trade and honestly organic values.” They believe that some of the best coffee in the world is grown by small growers in third world countries who need the help of organizations like Fair Trade, but Fair Trade isn’t for everyone. For those farmers who can't meet the volume demands set by some merchants who offer Fair Trade deals, Simple Coffee has developed what they refer to as "Better Trade," a system that pays small farmers more than the Fair Trade price per pound on coffee, simply because it's the right thing to do. They feature eleven blends of coffee from around the globe, from Sumatra to Costa Rica and Papua New Guinea to the mountains of Nicaragua, including one decaf and one that is shipped "green" -- unroasted -- for the consumer to roast themselves. Some of it is shade-grown and it's all "honestly organic," meaning they have "honest handshake agreements" with their farmers; Simple Coffee can't officially certify it, but it comes from farms small enough that the farmers use the same land to grow their own food, and they don't feed pesticides to their families. A 12 oz. bag goes for US $10, either whole bean or ground. ::Simple Coffee via ::Product Dose
Pretty pricey - even their green coffee is over $10 a pound, sold in 5 pound batches.
I roast my own and have never paid this much for green coffee.
You can buy extremely high-quality fair trade organic green coffee from a company like Sweet Marias for no more than $5 a pound. You can get 5 pounds of the exceptional Mexican Rinca El Olivo for just over $4 a pound.
I'm very much for fair trade , shade ground, organic coffee, but keep the prices reasonable.
T
All coffee growing regions are also the highest users of banned pesticides and other harmful ingredients. If the farmers aren't certified organic they should provide indepenent testing results, in the very least. If the farmers are truly organic, they should obtain organic certification. It would be in their best self interest, as their same product would have more value if so labeled. A "handshake" agreement isn't good for either the farmer or the consumer.
And what are the exact terms of "better trade"? When a company skirts two established standards like organic certification and fair trade, it makes me question their motivations and product quality.
If the farmers are organic anyway, it would be far more useful to assist them in their organic certification than using a meaningless handshake agreement. And there is nothing about fair trade that forces anyone to pay a minimum amount to the farmers.
A little too fishy, and expensive, for my business.
dean's beans: fair-trade and organic.
www.deansbeans.com
And delicious.
This is great. I would like to know more. and of other companies that offer the small business the opportunity to make it.
This is more free trade greenwashed as better than fair trade.
Certification is needed in a world of exploitation of famers.
transfairusa.org (Fair Trade here in the USA ) is by no means perfect. But they offer actions rather than words.
An online documentary film about "fair trade":
http://www.worldwrite.org.uk/bitter/index.htm
Bluntly, we don't BS. Yes, nothing is perfect when it has to work on a global level as Fair Trade is. We're a completely transparent company so I don't know how else to explain it.
We are in the process of getting certified. But to be fair to us, if we have the opportunity to help, we shouldn't wait around for paper work to sell something we know is pure.
I'm sorry that you guys are skeptical and judging price, without tasting our coffee. As far as pricing comparison to other companies that have been around longer, and might of had investors and not just our own money to start, well, ask us, and we can explain pricing without any hesitation. Might take a bit to get to the email as we all have other jobs to have money to put into Simple Coffee.now.
And if you want to question motive, please do so after reading our blog, our site, etc and we will answer any questions.
Thanks for the posts and especially to Milton for the documentary link.
Regards,
Mike Minor
Simple Coffee
Hey Mike -- I'm glad to hear you're getting certification. I have no probs with higher prices for better quality coffees -- but I do tend to be v. v. skeptical about the "just trust us, we're doing the right thing" message. This has less to do with what Simple Coffee's actual policies are than the fact that many corps use the same "just trust us" line -- when they're actually not.
From the comments here, it's pretty clear that many many consumers desire -- and often demand -- 3rd party certification. Yes, they can sometimes be costly, esp. for farmers who may already be impoverished. But without certification, any company can market not-so-ethically-grown coffee as ethical coffee. Consumers are tired of hearing the bullshit, and they want proof.
You could, of course, go the route of companies like Dean's Beans or Larry's Beans, who've put all their documents online for anyone who cares to peruse them. Unless Simple Coffee's willing to offer that same level of transparancy, however, certification's v. necessary.
Simple Coffee will be my main focus for the next month, doing market research on it for a class. I do have to say they have some nice coffee and a promising product. With some smart marketing this company could do very well.
I whole heartly support the idea of "handshake" agreements by small farmers and producers. A "handshake agreement" with governments or with large corporations would be foolish. The belief that governments are somehow more credible and trustworthy is actually laughable and I am surprised and depressed by the simple minded responses here to this idea of Handshake organic. Does certification guarantee organic...a true skeptic would not believe so. I would rather support the idea this business model represents. How can any conscious person believe that any government should be trusted above the word of your fellow neighbor? This business model is right on so many levels.