Visit: Cafédirect

Coffee production

1. Do you sell coffee and tea directly to the company?
2. Are you only selling to Cafedirect?
3. How many years does it take to grow coffee?
4. How did you encourage farmers to first join the scheme?
5. Where does the business have its location?
6. How long is it between you planting a coffee bush and it starting to produce sellable coffee?
7. What happens to the coffee once it has been picked?
8. Can I ask some practical questions...How big is your farm, and how much coffee do you produce each year? How many people work on the farm? How well known is the 'Fairtrade' concept in your country?
9. Is there still oversupply of coffee?

Coffee production

Question: Do you sell coffee and tea directly to the company?
Roseline: We sell coffee and now cocoa directly to Cafédirect.
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Question: Are you only selling to Cafédirect?
Roseline: No, we sell to Cafédirect and also on the world market.
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Question: How many years does it take to grow coffee?
Roseline: 4 years until you get beans that can be used. It is very hard to grow good coffee.
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Question: How did you encourage farmers to first join the scheme?
Roseline: Formerly there were not many in the co-op, but because we can sell at a fair price, more want to join the co-op. As growers see their neighbours getting a fair price, they see the difference the co-op can have.
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Question: Where does the business have its location?
Roseline: Cafédirect is based in London, but they buy their coffee, tea and cocoa from 10 different countries.
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Question: How long is it between you planting a coffee bush and it starting to produce sellable coffee?
Roseline: Nursery for 1 year then 3 years on the farm.
Examiner: Roseline thanks. So, four years after you have invested in the seedlings, the world price for coffee at that moment will dictate your return on investment?
Roseline: Yes, that is right. Unless you sell to Fairtrade, then you get a good price, never less than the minimum, for my 'robusta' coffee that is 106 cents per pound of coffee.
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Question: What happens to the coffee once it has been picked?
Roseline: It goes to a factory for the coffee to be roasted and packed, and the tea to be turned into tea bags.
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Question: Can I ask some practical questions...How big is your farm, and how much coffee do you produce each year? How many people work on the farm? How well known is the 'Fairtrade' concept in your country?
Roseline: My farm is 3 hectares. I produce about 20 bags, each bag is 65 kg, so 1300 kg a year. The farmers I work with know about Fairtrade because they benefit from it directly.
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Question: Is there still oversupply of coffee?
Roseline: Yes, in the world there is a high supply of coffee now, which is forcing prices down. This is affecting over 25 million farmers who cannot make enough money from their crops to survive.
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