We’ve never thought of trading fairly as an optional thing. It’s part of who we are. We believe that treating the farmers we rely on with respect is the only truly sustainable way to guarantee the quality of our coffees.

Firstly, we build long-lasting relationships with our suppliers through direct contact. We go to great lengths to visit them personally, from touching down on steep volcanic slopes in tiny planes to trekking through jungle for days on a donkey. And when practical and possible, we stay on the farms amongst the community. The genuine rapport this creates makes it worth every effort.

 

Secondly, we pay excellent prices for our coffee. Not only does this ensure a continued supply of the best quality coffees, but it also means that the farming communities can improve their living and working standards – something we pay very close attention to, because our coffee buyers are also qualified social auditors.

The positive impact we’ve made by working in this way has been recognised with two prestigious awards: in 2007, we received the The Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development and our Sustainable Coffee Sourcing Programme earned us a Business in the Community Award ‘Example of Excellence’.

But it doesn’t stop there. We’ve also set out to save an area of rainforest the size of Yorkshire – our way of helping in the fight against deforestation, a major cause of climate change. Though the long term effects concern us all, the coffee growing regions of the world are feeling the impact of increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather patterns already. 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.