Transparency Report 2023

Roastery

 

CAFFENATION TRANSPARENCY REPORT 2023

Download the full 2023 Transparency Report here

A short but relevant Coffee Transparency Report for our 2023 trading season!

We have always aimed to do “good business” in coffee. Everyone claims that they pay “correct prices” for their coffees, but not many coffee roasters explain what that means. What is the correct price? What is the value? How do prices compare to certain indicators? In this report, we try to uncover the prices we paid for our coffees in 2023. With additional data from organizations such as the 

Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide, we aim to paint a picture of what “correct” business means to us.

As a roastery, we are constantly looking for the best bang for your buck. In simple terms, we want to offer high-quality coffee to the masses. This means cupping through more than a thousand coffees a year and only selecting a handful that meet our 

“value for money” approach. Our “Caffè For The People” philosophy proves that we are in the business to do better.

 We believe it’s important to note that while we pay a premium for our coffees, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we are making a profound impact on the lives of farmers. A lot of variables need to be accounted for in order to make a certain profit at the end of each season. Consider factors like working wages, the impact of climate change, the size of the harvest, current market prices, fertilizer costs, transport costs, the success or failure of a harvest, political stability, and more. For us, paying a premium doesn’t directly correlate with a farmer’s eventual profit; it is, however, a first step in the right direction.

 Why We Share These Numbers

We intend to make the world a better place. This starts with appreciating those who grow, harvest, sell, and roast coffee. However, we value our customers even more. Therefore, we believe that greater transparency in coffee is part of educating our customers and gives us an opportunity to grow as a business.

 In a world where everything is condensed into snackable marketing, we strive to offer a true image of the industry that we dearly love. Sharing these numbers also puts our friends in the industry on the spot. We expect better from ourselves but also from our competitors. Sharing this information and these insights openly creates an environment of continuous learning for all those involved.

Balancing Act

Compiling all this information isn’t easy. Coffee comes to us in all different shapes and sizes, currencies, and destinations. Prices paid vary significantly based on origin, variety, processing, and more. Every additional step a coffee bean takes adds to its value. The complexities that each country faces are reflected in the prices that are eventually paid. This further explains the difficulties in communicating prices and defining “what is a fair price.” When reading these figures, it’s important to take into account the context given and the factors that influence pricing.

 Our Key Figures for the 2023 Buying Season

  • We purchased 53 different coffee lots.
  • A total of 826 coffee bags (of all shapes and sizes), 18% more than in 2022.
  • 14 different countries, up from 10 in 2022.
  • 100% transparency on all 53 FOB prices.
  • The average cupping score is 86.4/100.
  • The average FOB price was $8.05/kg.

Roastery Vocabulary

Farmer: A global term that refers to someone who grows and sells coffee as whole coffee cherries.

Producer: Can be a farmer, cooperative, or washing station (or something in between) that sells coffee that is processed and/or dried all the way down to the “parchment” stage. Depending on the country, a producer can also mill and export their coffee.

Cup Scores: An objective quality rating of coffee based on the SCA cupping protocol, scored on a scale from 0 to 100. This score is used to communicate about quality and inherently to match pricing to the scoring. 

We consider anything above 86 points as specialty coffee.

FOB (“free on board”): The industry refers to FOB as the price that is paid to the exporter for coffee that is ready to be shipped “the price paid to put coffee on the ship.” This price includes the producer price, local logistical costs, and exporting fees. This is an honest display of the purchase price at origin.

 

Download the full 2023 Transparency Report here

Download the full 2022 Triple Y Report here