Simply put, we buy coffee based on quality and we trade with respect for both people and planet.

Over the years we’ve developed long-lasting, sustainable relationships with our coffee growers. Our expert buyers regularly visit the farms and cooperatives we buy from because we believe there’s no better way to establish a genuine rapport with our suppliers.

We pay sustainable prices for all our coffee by guaranteeing to cover costs of production and paying a premium for quality. This provides our suppliers with the stability and means to invest in order to meet independent standards that help protect the environment and improve living conditions in their communities. We’re proud of the standards we’ve worked hard to establish together.

Now, by collaborating with independent certifying bodies, we’re able to make a difference on the ground much more quickly and effectively. We recognise that Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade and Utz all do great work and have each had a huge impact on improving social and environmental standards.

It has been a challenging task but we’ve helped existing suppliers who weren’t already certified to work towards the scheme that suits them best. As a result, all of the coffee we buy now comes from independently certified farms and cooperatives.

By working together in this way, we’re also able to significantly reduce the environmental impact of each farm, from the introduction of natural water filtration schemes, to preventing soil erosion through better farming techniques.

Yorkshire Rainforest Project

Although we are working towards improving environmental standards on farms and cooperatives we also face an even bigger environmental challenge: climate change. Because of our close connections, we’re acutely aware of the threat this poses for our suppliers. Though the long term affects concern us all, coffee growing regions of the world are among those most at risk to unfavourable weather such as hurricanes, heavy rains, and even droughts.

That’s why, after twenty years of planting three million trees around the world, we’ve set ourselves a new and much more ambitious target – we’re on a mission to save an area of rainforest the size of Yorkshire. Deforestation is responsible for more carbon emissions than the entire USA, making it a major cause of climate change. It’s just the first step on a long road, but through our Yorkshire Rainforest Project we hope to make a difference – and you can help. To find out more click here.