On our new coffee packaging you'll find ten bold statements that summarize our work as a coffee roastery. We exchange ideas daily with our production partners, who may be far away, but make it possible for all of us to drink coffee. With them we learn what it takes today so we can still drink coffee tomorrow.
Sometimes clear messages are needed. On our new coffee packaging we've placed ten of them prominently.
The back of the new coffee packaging.
1. Coffee without values is worthless.
If we understand the production and consumption of coffee only as a mechanical action, we fail to give coffee the value that is inherent to it. Countless hands have picked it, processed it, exported it, roasted it, packaged it and made it available. Coffee is a product made by people. When we appreciate the product, we can also value the work of the people behind it.
Producers sort coffee cherries by ripeness, Apixtepec, Mexico
2. Our decisions create perspectives for tomorrow.
Coffee is a long-term project – the plant grows slowly and changes take time. Awareness of coffee develops, but yes: it takes time. And because we work with people, change sometimes needs time. That's why it's so important that we shape the future today and understand our decisions as an investment for tomorrow. Together with producers, we're creating new perspectives.
Joél turns the coffee in the parchment so it can dry evenly. Apixtepec, Mexico
3. Nature sets our limits.
Long-term coffee production is only conceivable in connection with high biodiversity, lots of shade and intact ecosystems. Coffee cannot be produced in isolation, but rather orients itself to the limits that nature sets. There are varieties that grow well in Brazil but not at all in Nicaragua. Certain processing methods work consistently in one location – but not in others. Understanding the environment and accepting that nature determines what is possible and what is not gives us direction: what we can change – and what we should leave alone.
Our partner farm El Arbol from above. The coffee trees integrate into an existing forest.
4. Relationship status: complex, but clear.
We maintain several long-distance relationships with our production partners. We always try to clarify mutual expectations early on and think ahead. Collaboration is always context-dependent and sometimes differs significantly from other relationships. Like any relationship, a partnership collaboration is complex and varies from point to point, but clear in communication.
Don Roque is a founding member of the Citlal Kaffen cooperative in Mexico.
5. We promote soil health and give back more than we take.
The soil is a complex system – with many components, but above all: full of life. Microorganisms, minerals and organic matter ensure that plants develop well and stay healthy. Coffee plants get their energy from the soil, which in turn needs to be nourished. Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides shifts the focus away from the soil, even though it is precisely the soil that ensures long-term production. We focus on the soil in our collaboration and work to give back more than we take from it.
Célia Bühler from HAFL wrote her master's thesis on compost production in Nicaragua
6. Strong relationships, strong coffee.
We all love coffee. The taste, the feeling of drinking it, its effect. We love coffee so much that we go to its source and build relationships with the people who grow it. When we manage to make these relationships strong, enduring, able to weather crises and constantly renew themselves – then we're not just drinking coffee that's strong in flavor, but carrying a strong story within it. And that's how coffee tastes even better.
We've always connected all the dots along the coffee chain. Here: our Coffee Farm Training in Nicaragua
7. Joy and risk – we share both.
Someone once said that coffee production is quite simple – it consists of just 100 lessons, and you learn one every year. Every year there's reason for joy, and every year new challenges. Sometimes it rains too much, then not at all. Then ships don't sail or prices skyrocket. Harvest workers are missing, credit is too expensive. But then a partner wins the Cup of Excellence, a Natural lot knocks us off our feet, or the sorting has never been better than this year. We listen and go into responsibility together with our partners – because that's part of a relationship.
Marcia is a pioneer of organic coffee cultivation in Brazil. She is part of the Apas cooperative
8. We act transparently to drive change.
Coffee has a long history – and sometimes it's been a dark one (Coffee & Colonialism). Today many things are better along the coffee chain, but a large knowledge gap and power asymmetry still exist. Producers often have only limited knowledge of the coffee market, while buyers have access to a wealth of information. We believe: transparency is the first step to change.
Mauricio (left) is managing director of the Apas cooperative. Here he discusses pricing with Philipp
9. We overcome inequalities along the coffee chain.
This knowledge gap often shows up in financial starting positions too. We work to close it – and invest selectively on the ground in coffee countries to drive change and work on an equal footing with our partners.
Miguel (white shirt) in conversation with Don Roque and Doña Alma from the Citlal Kaffen cooperative
10. We build the coffee of the future with the bold and daring.
The coffee world can sometimes be slow-moving. Changes take time – or are understood as risk. Roasteries need security, just as producers do. When both play it safe, things stay the same. We seek partnerships with the bold and daring – with those who have their own minds, question conventions and want to help write the future today.
Yazmani is the managing director of the Citlal Kaffen cooperative. He leads with dynamism and vision
