Direct trade
is fairer

Direct trade
is fairer

Fairtrade certificates are a good first step towards fair trade – that’s how we see it.
But simply buying certified coffee from an importer here in Switzerland and trusting that the Fairtrade system will ensure that coffee farmers get enough money, we do not want that.
We want to know the people who grow our coffee – in person. And we want to make sure that as much money as possible stays with those who literally create value in the value chain.

Photo Direct relation to smallholder farmers

Direct connections instead of middlemen

International trade is almost never direct: manufacturers and consumers are surrounded by a large number of middlemen, who of course always wipe themselves off a bit from profit for their services. With coffee, for example, this means that middlemen can afford gold chains and cars, while the farmers who have worked for the harvest all year round and often have to feed their families for the rest of the year can barely make ends meet.

The more direct the better

The more middlemen we avoid, the more money stays for the farmers. And when you think about it, the Fairtrade organisation is ultimately like a middleman. For many farmers, certification is simply too expensive. When we first imported the product, we decided to work with a Fairtrade cooperative – to be on the safe side. Since our second year, we are working with certified and non-certified cooperatives alike. Living and working conditions do not differ.

Photo supporting families

Buying coffee from smallholder farmer families finances a child’s school uniform instead of a pool for a plantation owner.

The organization in cooperatives helps the farmers threefold: Firstly, they can collectively shoulder larger investments such as those in a wet mill, which enables everyone to earn a higher income. Furthermore, the cooperative acts as a saving account. Coffee farmers in Ethiopia usually earn income only once a year – during the coffee harvest in November-December. The cooperative pays out a dividend once the all the coffee has been sold in July-August. This helps farmers to manage their business better and their family budget. Finally, the cooperative also provides a better negotiating position to the farmers : together they are stronger.

Fair prices

The price we pay for our coffee is not fixed in New York on the stock exchange, but in a personal conversation with the farmers on the ground. The extremely high quality of the coffee, which depends to a large extent on the work of the farmers, is decisive for the price. And no one knows this better than the farmers themselves, because just a few years ago they hardly sold their coffee on the local market: “Before, we sold our coffee for 1.5 to 2 birr. Now we get 10 to 15 “. That’s what Kedir Aba Megal told us. A tenfold increase in price – also because a further step in the value-added chain is now being taken by farmers: they wash and dry the coffee themselves. Around a quarter of our sales price remains in Ethiopia.

Transparency instead of anonymous trade

Of course, paying for a certificate is actually more convenient than getting a story like the one told directly by Kedir – because without hours of driving on dusty bumpy roads, that’s impossible. Nevertheless, we prefer to rely on our own eyes and ears rather than on anonymous labels. And we hope that coffee drinkers in Switzerland will follow us on this path: literally. This year, for the first time, we are taking five to ten enthusiastic people with us to the coffee farmers in Western Ethiopia. Do you want to come with us? Find out more here.

Degustation sets:
Find your favorite coffee

Tasting set
Beans
3 x 100g for 29.90 CHF

Nespresso-compatible biodegradable coffee capsules

Tasting set
Compostable Capsules
3 x 10 for 29.90 CHF

Tasting set
Ground coffee
3 x 100g for 29.90 CHF

Compostable Capsules
Nespresso®-compatible

Kompostierbare Kapseln

Ambo
Really strong
40 capsules for 25 CHF

Mulu
Intense
40 capsules for 25 CHF

Lomi Kaffeekapseln

Lomi
Mild & fruity
40 capsules for 25 CHF

Beans

Tenikara richtig stark Bohnen

T’enikara
Really strong – beans
350g from 15.50 CHF

Kelemi intensiv Bohnen

K’elemi
Intense – beans
350g from 15.50 CHF

Lesilasa mild Bohnen

Lesilasa
Mild – beans
350g from 15.50 CHF

Ground coffee

Tenikara richtig stark gemahlen

T’enikara
Really strong – ground
350g from 15.50 CHF

Kelemi Gemahlen Intensiv für Bialetti

K’elemi
Intense – ground
350g from 15.50 CHF

Lesilasa Gemahlener Kaffee Mild

Lesilasa
Mild – ground
350g from 15.50  CHF

Gifts

3 x 100g beans
with coffee grinder
49.90 CHF

3 x 100g ground
with French Press
49.90 CHF

3 x 10 coffee capsules
Coffee spice & Mango
49.90  CHF

Produktbild Geschenkset XXL

3 x 100g beans
with coffee grinder, moka pot & French Press
99.90 CHF

Produktbild Geschenkset Kaffee Mühle Espressokocher

3 x 100g beans
with coffee grinder & moka pot
79.90 CHF

Product picture Gift: three types of coffee beans, hand mill & French press

3 x 100g beans
with coffee grinder & French Press
79.90 CHF