Why is Fair Trade Important?

Fair Trade Certified coffee guarantees farmers a minimum price, which acts as a safety net when prices drop (i.e., like right now!). This gives Fair Trade coffee farmers the security that they will receive a price which covers their average costs of sustainable production. Beyond the price, cooperatives are paid a premium so they can invest in projects that benefit their communities, improve their businesses, and protect the environment.

Did you know?

Because of a lack of communication and infrastructure in coffee growing countries, coffee farmers are often paid less than 25 cents per pound for their harvested coffee, which is something we do not want to be a part of.

This unethical practice has resulted in generational poverty among coffee lands and threatens the future of coffee. Coffee cultivation is dying because younger generations don’t see a sustainable life in the profession. We want a bright future for both the community and their coffee, don’t you?

Organic Coffee

Organic farming is designed to promote the health of the agro-ecosystem, including soil organisms, plants, livestock, and people. The goal of the organic farming standards is to develop farming practices that are sustainable and harmonious with the environment.

Organic agriculture prohibits synthetic substances and encourages techniques such as crop rotation, companion planting, biological pest control, mixed cropping and the fostering of insect predators. These standards protect consumers, the farmers, their neighbors, and the local ecosystems. Ampersand is proud to be partnering with CCOF Organic for our certification.

Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) is a revolutionary new certification for food, fiber, and personal care ingredients. ROC farms and products meet the highest standards for soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness. Ampersand is currently pioneering the world’s first ROC coffee through the Regenerative Organic Alliance, and with the support of and partnership with Patagonia Provisions. We’re paving the way for a new ethical standard in coffee product. Yeah, we know that’s pretty cool.

Full sun coffee plantations have become the norm for the coffee industry. This results in irresponsible and widespread clear cutting of the surrounding forestry. Because of this, it is imperative to protect the tropical forest that remains and rehabilitate degraded ecosystems. Every cup of “Bird Friendly” coffee you drink encourages more farmers to grow in the shade, which is good for birds, the trees, and the people.

First, the coffee is certified organic, which means the plantation manages a healthy soil base and does not apply harmful pesticides to the coffee that could otherwise runoff into streams and rivers. This practice helps reduce the billions of pounds of noxious chemicals injected annually into natural ecosystems that support wildlife and communities.

The Smithsonian Bird Friendly certification goes a step further, requiring a variety of native shade trees throughout the coffee plantation. Through decades of research, Smithsonian has learned the ideal combination of foliage cover, tree height and diversity needed to provide a suitable migratory bird habitat while also maintaining productive farms. Producers must be re-certified every three years to ensure they continue to meet these requirements and can truly call themselves Bird Friendly.

This results in better-tasting coffee— its rich flavor comes from beans maturing slowly in the shade. As farmers protect water sources for their communities and sequester carbon by managing the forest-like system, they also provide a host of other products like cacao and spices. The premium prices they fetch for Bird Friendly coffee supports their families and local economies.

Rainforest Alliance

Rainforest Alliance launched the world’s first sustainable forestry certification program in 1989. Their goal was to encourage market-driven, environmentally, and socially responsible management of forests, tree farms, and forest resources.

The organization helped found the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a non-profit international body that manages forestry operation in order to meet the FSC’s standards. The Rainforest Alliance has certified more than 113 million acres (45.9 million hectares) of forest worldwide as of 2016, making it the largest FSC certifier of forestlands in the world.

IWCA Coffee for Women's Empowerment

How Does Ampersand support Women’s Empowerment?

There are many challenges coffee farmers face, two of the largest being hunger and gender inequality.

Women make up more than 70% of the coffee farming work force and are outnumbered 10-1, woman-man, in actual ownership or positions of power on the farms or at the co-op level. In addition, it is estimated that women only make up 3-20% of land owners in the developing world. While women have gained legal rights equal to men in most of these countries, social convention and the incumbency of men in positions of power continue to make it difficult for women to succeed.

In addition to the obvious reasons for supporting women’s empowerment (i.e. global harmony), studies have shown that women will reinvest up to 90% of their income into the household, while men typically spend up to 25% of their income on consumables. Greater investment in households will lead to a more educated, sustainable community and promote less gravitation toward illicit activity.

We believe that the empowerment of women coffee farmers is the single best way to stimulate and support the coffee growing communities with a goal of lasting, positive change.

THIS STUDY explains the gender inequality gap in coffee and why focusing on closing this gap will make a meaningful impact.