Light Roast Little Bird Coffee

People + planet + profit. Craft is important when it comes to coffee, and we could go on all day debating processing methods or the best way to pull an espresso (really, don't get us started). But somewhere along the line it became clear to us that even the most talented, hard-working people can't focus on quality if they don't have access to basic human needs and rights, if they don't feel empowered. And that goes for everyone—from the farmers we work with to the staff we employ.

But you’re a business! you might say. Don’t you want to keep yourself sustainable and profitable? Well, sure. But we’re not so worried about ourselves. Our friends in coffee-growing regions have long struggled to stay afloat—small-scale coffee farming isn’t exactly a lucrative livelihood. Coffee farmers put in countless hours for an average yearly income of less than $300: that’s less than 2% of what a full-time worker on minimum wage in the U.S. makes in a year, and pocket change compared to what many of us spend per year on coffee alone. (Those two $4 lattes a week? Take a second to appreciate the luxury.)

The way we trade. Global fair trade standards dictate a “living wage” for these farmers, which means they’re guaranteed a certain price for their product despite fluctuation in the market. But that price isn’t enough. It’s not enough for families to afford access to clean water. Not enough for children of growers to attend school. Not enough to implement sustainable methods and develop communities with models for growth, not just models for hanging on by a thread. HG goes beyond fair trade to be direct and long-term in our relationships (with people, not just company names on paper) and transparent in all our business transactions.

Through our importer Cooperative Coffees (which we co-own), we pay a minimum $2.20 for all certified coffees, as opposed to the global fair trade organic floor price which is currently (as of February 2021) $1.90/pound. We provide premiums for quality and social impact projects. We provide pre-financing to our farming partners and work with open contracts, giving growers the power to determine their own prices when the C price lingers near our minimum. And three cents per green pound purchased goes to an Impact Fund which supports grower-led sustainability initiatives.

Go to fairtradeproof.org to follow the path each of our beans follows from field to cup. You can trust us to work for growers’ benefits far beyond what a minimum standard can provide.