Coffeebar Transparency Report 2020 by Coffeebar Archive

COFFEEBAR

TRANSPARENCY REPORT 2020

COFFEEBAR TRANSPARENCY REPORT 2020 PRODUCED BY COFFEEBAR ROASTERY 1013 HASKELL STREET RENO, NV 89509 www.coffeebar.com

INTRODUCTION

2 020 TR A NS PA R E N C Y R E P O R T Since the beginning of Coffeebar’s roastery program, transparency of process has been an ongoing goal. Our roastery space was even designed to intentionally ‘draw back the curtain’ on the production side of our program. Our quality control is visible to all guests, the roaster takes center stage for the customer experience, and the astute observer will be able to see our roast profiles and blend components on display every roast day. This year though marks the first year that we can draw back that curtain a little more and shed some light on our purchasing practices all the way back to the countries producing our coffee. This 2020 Transparency Report lays out all of the green coffee purchases Coffeebar made during the calendar year, as well as the intentionality behind those purchasing decisions, and, as much as possible, the breakdown of that pricing structure back to origin. Producing a report like this is important for two reasons: It holds Coffeebar accountable to the high standards we set, and it gives our guests a more clear view of our work, allowing them to share in the journey. Our goal is to build on this year on year and continue to share ever more information surrounding the work we do. And in so doing, improve on that work and really live the values we set ourselves with our Vertical Sourcing Program.

TAB L E OF CON TEN TS 2020 COFFEEBAR STATS........................................2 Reflecting on Coffeebar’s 2020 roasting program

COFFEE CONTRACTS..............................................4 2020 purchasing data

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT........................................6 Spotlight on two of our closest producing partners

PAYMENTS & LOGISTICS BREAKDOWN...............8 Deep dive into the numbers behind our contracts in two regions

COUNTRY REPORTS...............................................10 Summary of our work in each producing country

A NOTE ON CERTIFICATIONS...............................12 Why not Fair Trade / Organic?

CONCLUSION..........................................................13

2020 COFFEEBAR STATS

73,565

POUNDS ROASTED IN 2020

1,406.98 POUNDS PER WEEK

T O TA L H O U R S R O A S T I N G AT 1 0 3 0 H A S K E L L S T RENO, NV 89509

3,599 BATCHES OF HAND ROASTED COFFEE IN 2020

1,445 ZEPHYR

982 SINGLE ORIGIN

750 GIUSEPPE

193 PRIMA DONNA

129 TODDY

100 FELIZ

2020 COFFEEBAR STATS

1 2

7 6

3 5 4

DIFFERENT SINGLE ORIGINS

1. GUATEMALA • Manuel Gomez Washed • Manuel Cherry Ferment • Manuel Gomez Natural

5. BURUNDI • Dusangiriejambo • Masha Washed

2. COSTA RICA • Finca Lucerito • Rio Grande de Orosi • Doka Estate La Laurina

6. UGANDA • Gorilla Summit Natural

DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

3. COLOMBIA • Agualinda • Arlex Munoz • Mariela Velasco

7. ETHIOPIA • Naia Bombe Natural • Naia Bombe Honey • Basha Bekele

4. PERU • Peru Combapata • Helibrando Martinez Aguila

8. THAILAND • Law Wu

COFFEE CONTRACTS PER IMPORTER LaREB:

$6,922.30

LANNA:

$7,973.76

GENUINE ORIGIN: $4,056.00 SUCAFINA: $2,376.00

YEPOCAPA COFFEE:

$9,652.50

HOMAGE COFFEE SOURCE:

$9,702.00

RED FOX COFFEE MERCHANTS:

SUSTAINABLE HARVEST:

CATALYST TRADE:

$27,075.00

DE LA GENTE:

$71,722.50

ATLANTIC SPECIALTY:

$46,830.76

TOTAL: $255,012.45

$27,854.23

$40,847.40

PER REGION

CONTRACTS Due to the variable harvest periods of this global product, and thus contracts being signed at varying times throughout the year, it can be awfully difficult to determine which coffees to include on the report for a calendar year! For example, we signed the contract for our La Suiza coffee pre-harvest in 2019, the coffee arrived mid-2020, and we’re still roasting it into 2021. In order to streamline this process, we are including all coffees that we began roasting during 2020, and then including the full contract value of that coffee. View the full contract breakdown here.

CENTRAL AMERICA:

EAST AFRICA:

$116,172.57

$78,644.10

TOTAL: $255,012.45 SOUTH AMERICA:

ASIA / PACIFIC:

$52,222.02

$7,973.76

COFFEE CONTRACTS

VERTICAL SOUR C I N G I M PAC T LEVELS: IMPOR T ER S Coffeebar is now into its fourth year roasting, and our Vertical Sourcing program is still a work in progress. To more clearly show where we are on this journey, we’re creating a tier system to explain the differing levels of impact in our sourcing. Over time, our goal will be to move all of our purchasing towards the higher tiers.

TOTAL: 76,615 lbs

TIER 1 is where we have fully embraced our Vertical Sourcing vision. These purchases represent long-term relationships and a shared vision of economic growth and sustainability. Oftentimes, these coffees would not be purchased as specialty, or even imported, if it weren’t for our work.

TIER ONE (27,166lbs)

TIER THREE (19,894lbs)

• DE LA GENTE 22,140 lbs • GORILLA SUMMIT 5,026 lbs

• ATLANTIC SPECIALTY 10,905 lbs • SUSTAINABLE HARVEST 8,989 lbs

TIER TWO (18,900lbs)

TIER FOUR (10,655lbs)

• • • • •

CATALYST TRADE 9,768 lbs YEPOCAPA COFFEE 2,850 lbs HOMAGE COFFEE SOURCE 2,640 lbs LANNA 2,102 lbs La REB 1,540 lbs

• RED FOX COFFEE MERCHANTS 9,020 lbs • GENUINE ORIGIN 975 lbs • SUCAFINA 660 lbs

TIER 2 represents importers with whom we work closely to support, or with whom we’ve had significant, long-term relationships. For example, with Homage Coffee Source and Lanna we have made purchases to help them move inventory in preparation for f resh harvest, when other coffee options would have been available to us. Oftentimes, Tier 2 will be a realistic goal for our sourcing, as many importers are doing incredible work at origin that we aim to support. TIER 3 speaks to a deeper connection to the importer, but for whom our purchasing has a less tangible impact than with Tiers 1 and 2. TIER 4 could be considered the standard sourcing model for most roasters: quality importers f rom whom we purchase coffee to fill spaces in our lineup.

C O M M U N I T Y S P O T L I G H T: C O O P E R AT I VA I N T E G R A L AG R Í C O L A ‘ L A S U I Z A’ LA SUIZA, GUATEMALA An integral part of the creation of our Vertical Sourcing strategy, the community of La Suiza lies nestled in the mountains of western Guatemala. We plugged into La Suiza in 2017 via Director of Coffee David Wilson’s work with the non-profit importer De la Gente. At that time, La Suiza were producing coffee on the cusp of specialty, but due to their remoteness they had no recourse to anything other than street prices given by intermediaries. De la Gente were buying the small sum of ten bags a year as a show of faith to the community, but were struggling to move it through specialty coffee channels at a price that justified the investment. This is quite often the Catch-22 of coffee purchasing. The communities with the resources and education are able to produce coffee at a quality level that gains them access to specialty markets and pricing. But how does one reach that level of quality coffee production, without first having the resources to invest to get there? Seeing this impediment to the growth of La Suiza, Coffeebar began purchasing increasing amounts of their coffee, and finding ways to use it in our blends. This investment has seen La Suiza’s sales grow f rom 10 bags in 2017, to 40 in 2018, and on up to 104 in 2021, entirely bought by Coffeebar. With increasing income f rom sales entering the community each year, we’ve seen the quality improve in leaps and bounds, to the point where 2021 will see the first coffee f rom La Suiza attaining a quality level that makes it deserving of release as a micro lot.

HARVEST

• HARVEST (50 FAMILIES)

PROCESSING

• FERMENTED (IN PLASTIC TUBS) FOR 24 HOURS & WASHED • DRIED ON PATIO/NYLON

MILLING

• DRY MILLING AT LA SUIZA

EXPORT

• DELIVERED TO EXPORTER ‘CAFE ENTRE VOLCANES’ IN CIUDAD VIEJA • BAGGED AND LOADED INTO CONTAINER • EXPORT FROM GUATEMALA • LOGISTICS IN GUATEMALA BY RGC COFFEE

IMPORT

• IMPORTED BY DE LA GENTE • WAREHOUSED AT THE ANNEX IN OAKLAND • COLLECTED BY COFFEEBAR DRIVER ON WEEKLY COFFEE RUN • DELIVERED TO COFFEEBAR ROASTERY IN RENO

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: GORILLA SUMMIT COFFEE K A NU NG U DI ST R I CT, U GA N D A Gorilla Summit is the brain child of Gerald Mbabazi. Whilst studying in the United States, Gerald made several connections in the specialty coffee industry. Through these contacts, he saw the potential to improve the lives of families in and around the village he’s f rom in southwest Uganda. Returning to his hometown, he formed Gorilla Summit coffee, an export company dedicated to purchasing coffee at higher prices than those traditionally obtained by producers, and selling it in specialty markets abroad. One of the biggest hurdles Gerald has faced during the development of Gorilla Summit is finding a consistent market. As a small exporter, the risks in the operation can be massive if the sale of the product isn’t guaranteed. For example, a full container of coffee (required to reduce shipping costs to manageable figures) contains around 40,000 pounds of coffee and could represent an initial outlay of over $100,000 dollars. Through our own years-long connection with Gerald and time spent on the ground with him in Uganda, we’ve seen the investment he’s already made into these communities, and the value of such a project. And while Coffeebar is not yet large enough to secure that whole container for him, we do commit to 20-25% of his export volume up-f ront each year, in order to guarantee him a buyer and offset the risks he takes on as a small exporter. Photo: gorillasummitcoffee.com

HARVEST

• HARVEST (SEVERAL HUNDRED SMALL HOLDINGS PRODUCERS)

PROCESSING

• PURCHASED BY ‘NYAKASHENYI MILL’ IN FRUIT • NATURAL PROCESSS - DRIED ON AFRICAN RAISED BEDS

MILLING

• DRY MILLING IN BUSHENYI

EXPORT

• OVERLAND TRANSPORT TO PORT IN MOMBASA, KENYA • EXPORTED BY GORILLA SUMMIT

IMPORT

• IMPORTED BY ATLANTIC SPECIALTY • WAREHOUSED AT THE ANNEX IN OAKLAND • COLLECTED COFFEEBAR DRIVER ON WEEKLY COFFEE RUN • DELIVERED TO COFFEEBAR ROASTERY IN RENO

PAYMENTS & LOGISTICS BREAKDOWN: LA REAL EXPEDICIÓN BOTÁNICA LOT

LA REAL EXPEDICIÓN B O T Á N I C A ( La R EB ) In an effort to provide context around what can otherwise feel like arbitrary numbers, we are sharing this in-depth price breakdown f rom one of our importing partners. LaREB is a group that boasts members throughout the supply chain, and works to create greater transparency in the system, as well as ensure that all members receive compensation commensurate to their role. The numbers provided by LaREB show the full profit distribution and costs throughout the supply chain, f rom the farmgate price received by producers all the way to the FOT price paid by roasters. The three coffees represented are Ventenos, a cooperative blend produced by Coomerciacafe in Narino, the Arlex Munoz, a micro lot produced by a member of Coomerciacafe, and the Mariela Velasquez Gesha, a premium varietal that was the most expensive coffee we purchased in 2020. By displaying these three coffees side by side, one can see that smaller, higher-scoring lots of coffee ultimately command higher farmgate prices, but also have more costs associated throughout the supply chain.

VENTEÑOS

bags FARMGATE

ÁRLEX MUÑOZ

11 $1.75 51.5%

MARIELA VELASCO GESHA

8 $1.94 46.1%

1 $5.60 56.6%

profit distribution

$0.03

0.8%

$0.57

13.7%

$1.45

14.7%

local liaison

$0.12

3.5%

$0.18

4.3%

$0.65

6.6%

local (Colo) shipping

$0.03

0.9%

$0.03

0.7%

$0.05

0.5%

farm-level assistance

$0.10

2.9%

$0.10

2.4%

$0.10

1.0%

preparation + package

$0.13

3.8%

$0.13

3.1%

$0.26

2.6%

shipment + FNC

$0.27

7.9%

$0.27

6.4%

$0.27

2.7%

LaREB

$0.30

8.8%

$0.30

7.1%

$0.40

4.0%

FOB / colombia

$2.73 80.2%

$3.52 83.8%

$8.79 88.8%

import + invoice

$0.10

2.9%

$0.10

2.4%

$0.10

1.0%

warehouse entry

$0.03

0.9%

$0.03

0.7%

$0.15

1.5%

base financing

$0.10

3.0%

$0.11

Mk + Sales

$0.30

8.8%

$0.30

bank + transfers

$0.03

0.9%

warehousing

$0.03

financing / month

$0.08

$FOT Lot Total

$0.27

2.8%

7.1%

$0.30

3.0%

$0.03

0.7%

$0.03

0.3%

0.9%

$0.03

0.7%

$0.09

0.9%

2.4%

$0.08

1.9%

$0.17

2.6%

$3.40 100.0%

$4.20 100.0%

$2,879.80

$2,587.20

1.7%

$9.90 100.0% $762.30

SUPPLY CH A I N TE RM S T O KN O W

FOT (FREE ON TRUC K) :

FA R M G AT E ( FG P):

C M A R K ET:

Price paid by Coffeebar for coffee landed in the United States

Price received by the farmer for their product

Fluctuating commodity market price, determined by the New York Stock Exchange and correlating to FOB

FOB (FREE ON BOA RD ) :

ST R E E T PR I CE:

Price paid by the importer upon assuming responsibility for the coffee at origin

Local rate offered by middlemen

2020 average C market price: $1.12/lb

PAYMENTS & LOGISTICS BREAKDOWN: DE LA GENTE TOTAL FOT paid / green coffee

$39,707.61

$2.95

FOB paid / green coffee

$32,977.51

$2.45

export cost

$2,055.40

$0.15

anacafe

$455.00

$0.03

export taxes ISR

$2,855.00

$0.21

transport from Suiza to exporter

$1,044.4

$0.08

farmer taxes (5%)

$1,373.29

$0.10

total costs

$7,773.16

$0.58

TOTAL farmgate paid / green coffee

USD $ / lb

$25,204.35

Coffeebar purchase compared to 2020 street price*

TOTAL

D E LA GE N T E

USD $ / lb

$1.87

La Suiza coffee is brought into the United States by the Guatemala-based importer De la Gente. Our relationship with DLG began in 2016, and as a result our connection with La Suiza is one of the strongest of our Vertical Sourcing program. Each year we are involved in every phase of contract negotiations, and as such can provide a more in-depth analysis of the costs that can be hidden behind the blanket FOB pricing.

QTZ / Quintal Q1,404.38

USD $ / lb

QTZ / Quintal

farmgate paid / parchment

$1.46

Q1,094.75

street price paid / parchment

$0.80

Q600

percent increase selling to Coffeebar

82.5%

* Coffee in La Suiza is traditionally sold on the street in parchment form (dried coffee pre-milling), and so contract prices have been converted in order to show an accurate comparison

FOT paid refers to the price paid by Coffeebar and other roasters for this coffee (in 2020 Coffeebar purchased 11,250 of the 13,500 pounds exported by La Suiza). The difference between the price and FOB is accounted for by import logistics and fees and the small margin added by the importer ($0.10-$0.15/lb is fairly common). The difference then between FOB (the price paid by De la Gente to the exporter) and Farmgate (the price received by the community in La Suiza) is broken down to show the distribution of taxes and transport costs. For comparison, the price paid by local buyers on the street (the only other recourse La Suiza have) in 2020 was 600 Guatemalan Quetzales per quintal (100lbs), or $0.80/lb for coffee in parchment form. The price paid by De la Gente, when converted to parchment, was $1.46/lb. This amounts to an 82.5% increase for the same product, and demonstrates how important gaining access to specialty markets can be for small producers.

S U P P LY C HAIN TERMS TO KNOW CHERRY

GRE EN COFFE E

IMPO RTER

Coffee still in f ruit form. Many producers sell at this stage, without performing any of the processing themselves.

This refers to the dry-milled, finished product, ready to export.

The member of the supply chain who takes care of all the logistics surround the import of coffee into the consuming country.

PARCHMENT

EXPORTE R

This refers to the product after post-harvest processing and drying. Processing to this point allows farmers to add value to their product.

The member of the supply chain who takes care of all the logistics surrounding the export of coffee f rom the producing country.

COUNTRY REPORTS U GAND A

COFFEE • LBS CONTRACTED • FOT • FOB

With a relationship stretching back over four years, Coffeebar works in Uganda exclusively with exporter Gorilla Summit. Gorilla Summit is run by Gerald Mbabazi, and focuses on paying higher prices to rural producers who otherwise have no access to anything but commodity pricing. We commit to the coffee pre-harvest, in order to give Gerald the security of a guaranteed buyer and offset the risk required on the exporting side.

Gorilla Summit Natural 2019 • 5026 • $3.19 • $3.00

B URUND I Our work in Burundi has focused on Homage Coffee Source, a small importer working out of Burundi and Uganda. In Af rica, we prioritize the Great Lakes region, as these countries - Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi - are only recently emerging on the specialty coffee scene. By focusing on only this micro-region, Homage are able to create close connections and work closely to improve quality and contracts offered. We also work with the larger importer Sucafina to bring in further Burundian coffees to fill out our lineup.

Gatakuza Station Lot #4 • 1980 • $3.25 • $2.80 Dusangiriejambo CB #36 • 660 • $4.95 • $4.50 Masha Washed • 660 • $3.60

ET HIO PIA One of our longest buying relationships, Catalyst Trade produce incredibly high-scoring coffees f rom Ethiopia, but also focus on cultivating long-term partnerships and improving the quality, and thus value, of the coffee coming out of these regions. Founded by Michael and Emily McIntyre, Catalyst Trade is now jointly owned by Ethiopian partners, truly connecting them to the source.

Dur Feres 2020 • 6732 • $3.70 Naia Bombe Natural 2020 • 1320 • $5.05 Naia Bombe Honey 2020 • 396 • $6.75 Basha Bekele • 1320 • $5.00

DEMOC R AT IC RE P UBLI C O F THE CON GO / RWAN DA We’ve worked with Rwandan coffees via Sustainable Harvest for several years, but 2020 was our first year bringing in coffee f rom the DRC. In place of more established producing countries like Kenya and Tanzania, we are targeting work in these developing coffee regions, and hope to grow our commitments to these two countries in the coming years.

THAIL A ND

Lanna Coffee Co began work in Thailand with the goal of improving living conditions in remote villages. They initially operated as a roastery, purchasing only as much raw product as they could sell roasted. Through maintained connections and time on the ground however, they have steadily improved the quality of the coffee in this region allowing them to expand to selling green coffee to other roasters. More sales of green coffee, more money back to these communities.

North Kivu Gorilla Blend • 650 • $3.69 • $1.90

Law Wu • 1452 • $3.88 • $3.31 Doi Wiaing • 650 • $3.60 • $3.31

COUNTRY REPORTS G UATEMALA

COFFEE • LBS CONTRACTED • FOT • FOB

Our most closely connected origin country, Coffeebar's connection with Guatemala began via Director of Coffee David Wilson's work with importer De la Gente, based out of Antigua, Guatemala. His position, and having lived in-country, allowed us connections that would have been otherwise impossible. Much of our sourcing philosophy is derived f rom that work, and we now work with three cooperatives in Guatemala, supporting small producers at levels ranging f rom those just entering into the specialty market to those pushing the boundaries of flavor profiles.

La Suiza 2020 • 11,250 • $2.95 • $2.45 Manuel Gomez Washed 2020 • 1800 • $4.25 • $3.45 Manuel Gomez Natural 2020 • 1200 • $4.25 • $3.51 San Miguel Escobar 2020 • 6840 • $3.17 • $2.40 Ija'tz Washed 2020 • 450 • $3.50 • $2.70 Manuel Experimentals • 600 • $4.25 • $3.51 Montellano 2020 • 1500 • $3.60 • $2.50 El Platanar • 1350 • $3.15 • $2.20

M E XICO/HONDU R A S/N I CA R AGUA Coffees sourced f rom these regions were used as blend components this past year. However, that doesn’t make the sourcing methodology any less important! Oftentimes it makes it more so. We’ve had close ties to Sustainable Harvest since the beginning of our roasting program, and gravitate towards them due to their practice of more fully integrating the origin side with the consumer side. Many of the regions where Sustainable Harvest work have on-the-ground teams and cupping labs, ensuring a year round presence and close connection to the producers.

El Triunfo • 4500 • $2.85 • $2.20 Pacayal 2020 • 1200 • $2.65 • $2.20 Parainema Honey • 1350 • $1.89 • $2.10

C OLOMBIA We work with two importers out of Colombia: La Real Expedicion Botanica and Atlantic Specialty. LaREB is a concept model, made up of members f rom producers to roasters and designed to more fully integrate the coffee supply chain. Atlantic Specialty work closely with the exporter Pergamino, a Colombian company that began as producers before expanding into export.

Agualinda • 1124 • $3.70 • $3.30 Arlex Munoz • 616 • $4.65 • $3.52 Mariela Velasco • 77 • $10.35 • $8.79 Aponte Excelso • 1848 • $3.22 • $2.85 Cauca Excelso • 1232 • $2.38 • $1.86 Excelso EP Unidad de Restitucion • 1540 • $2.44 • $2.10 Ventenos • 847 • $3.85 • $2.73

COSTA RICA Our goal with working with Costa Rican coffee is to highlight the work being done by Sustainable Management Services Costa Rica. Hybrid varietal development is an increasingly important subject in specialty coffee, and SMS are performing this work at an incredibly high level. Each year we bring in examples of their work, to demonstrate the value and potential of these hybrids.

Finca Lucerito 2020 • 1520 • $3.15 • $2.80 Rio Grande de Orosi 2020 • 1520 • $3.15 • $2.80 Doka Estate La Laurina 2020 • 325 • $5.10 • $4.00

P ERU We’ve worked with Peruvian coffee for a couple of years, supporting various projects, but are still looking for a long-term partner. Just to demonstrate that it’s not always an easy thing!

Peru Combapata • 3450 • $2.85 Helibrando Martinez Aguila 2019 • 1520 • $3.75 Peru Calca Regional 2019 • 4050 • $2.85

A NOTE ON CERTIFICATIONS WHY NO T FA I R TRA DE / O RG A N I C? You may have noticed that throughout this report there is no mention of Fair Trade or Organic certified coffees. Or any other certification, for that matter. However, this does not mean that we avoid these coffees, nor that we don’t support the work that organizations like Fair Trade are doing. Indeed, some of our coffees do carry various certifications. Certifications, and the premiums attached to them, can be game changers for producers who are selling coffee at prices on the lower end of the spectrum. Creating price minimums as Fair Trade has done has been a big step for the industry, and has called attention to the simple fact that producers’ livelihoods shouldn’t be tied to a fluctuating stock market. With the growth though of specialty coffee in the last several years, the price of the coffees we purchase is more and more tied to quality and has largely detached f rom commodity market pricing. Our country reports show this, with the listed FOB price for each coffee as compared to the 2020 C Market average of $1.12/lb. And while FOB is not a perfect benchmark, it does allow at a glance to see that trends in specialty coffee purchasing have created a market already distinct f rom that of commodity coffee. Our goals are quite similar to that of Fair Trade in this respect: to create price stability and fair compensation for our global producing partners. Organic certification can be a little trickier. While the certification itself is admirable, consumers demanding only Organic-certified coffee can have several consequences in producing countries. Where we work in Uganda, all the coffee is produced by families who practice subsistence farming, with a few coffee trees growing on their acre of land that are used as a cash crop. The amount of income generated by these smallholdings isn’t sufficient for these farmers to purchase fertilizers of any type. Their coffee is grown under the shade of banana trees, and is as organic as it gets. But because they don’t carry the Organic certification, they have lost contracts

when roasters decide they will only purchase coffee that is Organic, not just organic. We’ve seen a related issue in Guatemala, where farmers with whom we work attempted to switch to organic production and sought the certification. They experienced declining yields over the first few years, and then when Guatemala was hard hit by roya (a fungus that attacks coffee plants) in 2012, they were unable to combat it effectively and lost the majority of their production. This risk tends to fall entirely on producers, as while they may gain a premium on all coffee sold with the Organic certification, that amount doesn’t always compensate for lost production. For this reason, we practice a philosophy of ‘as organic as possible.’ Our producers in Guatemala grow under diverse shade trees, apply organic compost to their fields, practice sustainable management techniques, and occasionally apply a fungicide to protect their plants. Sustainability is about more than just the environment. It extends to livelihoods and community development and the long-term health of our industry, and it’s something we need to take equal responsibility for on both sides of the supply chain. Coffeebar takes ethical and sustainable sourcing very seriously, and this report is an effort to shed a little more light on the process that drives all of our decision making. Certifications have played an important role in the growth of our industry, as they tend to move lock-step with a more engaged, ethically-minded consumer. And in the right circumstances they can be hugely beneficial at the origin level. Our producing partners in Uganda? The exporter Gorilla Summit is working now to obtain Organic certification, with the goal of creating new market opportunities and not losing those contracts in the future. In the meantime though, we’ll continue to purchase their coffee and support them in their growth. Certifications can tell a part of the story of quality coffee. Here at Coffeebar, our goal is to tell the rest of the story too.

CONCLUSION

I N C O N C LU S I O N 2020 was a difficult year for everyone. But if it taught us anything it was how to be adaptable. Coffeebar even experienced gains in 2020 compared to 2019, but not in the ways we would have imagined! Our roast volume increased by 9.1% year on year (a grain of salt though, our projected growth pre-COVID was 30%), and our sales of retail bags increased by 47% as more people began working f rom home. And while all our coffee sales increased, single origins were the biggest winners, going f rom 35.6% of total retail bag sales to 47.9%. More recently, once the craziness subsided, 2020 gave us the chance to reflect and crystallize the intentionality behind our sourcing program. This transparency report is our first chance to share that work with the world, and is a document we plan to build on and expand in the coming years.