Coffee with morals
From the farmer's hand to your cup and invested back into their land.
We have learned about the systemic injustices in the coffee industry first-hand from smallholder coffee farmers who know where and how we can make the biggest impact.
For all of us at Road, it's more than a cup of coffee.
BeyondFair®
Paying farmers directly
While certifications like Fair Trade, Direct Trade, and Organic appear to be doing good, it doesn’t mean that coffee farmers are getting paid fairly. The problem with these models is that importers are getting paid the majority of the money– instead of the coffee farmers who are doing all the work.
Our BeyondFair® program allows us to bring micro-loans directly to our partnering farmers. By directly sourcing our coffee beans from smallholder farmers, we have removed unnecessary middlemen from the supply chain. Too often, coffee farmers do not get paid fairly and are paid below what it costs them to grow their coffee. Fair prices allow them and their employees to make a living wage and gain financial freedom for their families and communities.
It's very challenging for coffee farmers to access loans, and if they can, they often face sky-high interest rates of 70%. Through our microfinance program we have been able to directly impact 11 different coffee farmers and their families. These coffee farmers have seen an average increase of 25 cents per pound in their crop value because of the micro-loan investment into their land.
We are making waves in the coffee industry through our commitment to improving the coffee supply chain, improving the lives of coffee farmers, eliminating unnecessary middlemen, and increasing farmers' profits by meaningful margins. We directly pay our partnering farmers a viable living wage, empowering them to invest that money back into their land and community.
The Road Less Traveled
Discovering new markets
Some of the best coffee beans in the world are grown in countries previously untapped. Coffee farmers in these regions often lack access to markets willing to buy their high-quality coffee and pay what it’s worth.
Road Coffee was one of the first coffee roasters to source directly from Laos– and we, along with our customers, are so glad that we did! The coffee is amazing and the people are passionate. Our partners on the ground, FI-LAN’THRO-PE, are empowering self-determined community development through projects like building coffee mills and creating access to clean water.
“We are proud pioneers as one of the first companies to source directly from Laos. Now Laos coffee is starting to get the attention it deserves internationally.” – Alisha Esmail, Founder, Road Coffee
Looking Forward
Let's change things up with each bag of Road Coffee
Road Coffee is working toward a future that is sustainable and profitable for everyone. We are devoted to roasting the perfect beans from uniquely sourced countries, and to continue pioneering change in the industry. Our mission is to make BeyondFair® an industry standard and we are proud of the deep relationships we’ve already cultivated at Road Coffee. Paying farmers directly and fairly will change the way coffee is grown, sourced, and sold.
Opening New Markets is Vital
Opening new markets is vital to coffee farmers’ livelihood. Without access to new markets, coffee farmers are often paid below their cost of production and end up indebted to exploitative middlemen. By creating new opportunities for coffee farmers to sell their products, we are able to pay farmers what their coffee is worth. The result? Coffee farmers get paid a living wage.
