Browsing by Subject "Coffee"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6

Open Access
Adaptation to Climate Change by Smallholder Coffee Producers in Latin America
(2016-04-29) King, Danielle; Wang, Tianyu; Finley, Jennifer
Smallholder coffee farmers in Latin America are already being impacted by and adapting to climate change. Our client, Counter Culture Coffee, a coffee roaster that sources from coffee cooperatives throughout Latin America and around the world, has a commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing. As such, CCC seeks to better understand the viability of potential adaptation strategies in order to support their partners in developing resilient livelihood strategies and ensuring sustained, high-quality coffee production. We conducted participatory action research with two partner coffee cooperatives in Guatemala and Peru to determine which adaptation strategies were most desirable and feasible. Methods included key actor and cooperative leader interviews, focus groups with cooperative members, and transect walks. Based on analysis of this data, we identified five potential climate change adaptation strategies and the financial, human, natural, physical, and social capitals required to implement them. We provided recommendations on the viability of each strategy.
Open Access
Climate Change and Coffee Communities in Latin America
(2015-04-24) Fox, Claire; Furgiuele, Joanna; Haider, Saira; Ramirez, Martin; Younis, Mike
Coffee production is an essential component of the rural economy and smallholder livelihoods in countries throughout Latin America. Coffee producers and the global coffee supply have been threatened by the effects of climate change, such as increases in severe weather events that cause harvest failures and changes in growing conditions that decrease volume or quality. We researched climate change adaptation strategies for both livelihood stability and coffee production sustainability that are feasible for smallholder producers to implement. Our group conducted a research study for our client Counter Culture Coffee in partnership with three coffee cooperatives: La Orgánica in Colombia, Coordinadora de Organizaciones de Desarrollo de Concepción Huista (CODECH) in Guatemala, and Cenfrocafé in Peru. We used a mixed methods approach and triangulated our data by applying multiple sources to answer similar questions. We interviewed cooperative leaders, conducted surveys, held focus groups, and participated in transect walks. We also interviewed key actors from the government, nonprofit, and private sectors within each country that play a role in developing the resilience and/or adaptive capacity of smallholder coffee producers. Our results show how across all three countries, issues of the roya (coffee leaf rust) epidemic, price volatility, instability in weather and seasonality, lack of access to credit, and insufficient availability to technical assistance are challenges to adapting to the impacts of climate change for smallholder coffee growers. Some of the strategies that smallholder coffee producers can implement to adapt to climate change are: diversifying income, selecting rust resistant coffee varieties, converting to shade-grown agroforestry systems, implementing best management practices, capacity building through community organization and forming cooperatives, and securing certifications that offer more stable prices. Finally, we developed specific recommendations for our client and for our three partner cooperatives.
Open Access
Coffee and Civil War: The Cash Crop That Built the Foundations for the Mass Slaughter of Mayans during the Guatemalan Civil War
(2017-05-08) Calvo, Mariana
This thesis explores the connections between coffee production and genocide in Guatemala. This thesis centers its analysis in the 19th and 20th centuries when coffee was Guatemala’s main cash crop. Coffee became Guatemala’s main export after the Liberal Revolution of 1871. Prior to 1871, the ruling oligarchy in Guatemala had been of pure European descent, but the Liberal Revolution of 1871 gave power to the ladinos, people of mixed Mayan and European descent. With the rise of coffee as an export crop and with the rise of ladinos to power, indigenous Guatemalans from the western highlands were displaced from their lands and forced to labor on coffee plantations in the adjacent piedmont. Ladino elites used racism to justify the displacement and enslavement of the indigenous population, and these beliefs, along with the resentment created by the continued exploitation of indigenous land and labor culminated in the Guatemalan Civil War (1960-1996). This conflict resulted in the genocide of Maya communities. Historians have traced the war to the 1954 CIA backed coup that deposed democratically elected president, Jacobo Arbenz over fears that he was a Communist. This thesis will take a different approach and argue that the origins of the war can be traced to the introduction of coffee in the late 19th century. This thesis is important to understanding the mechanisms of genocide because it argues that dependence on commodities leads to the commodification of entire groups of people.
Open Access
Counter Culture Coffee B Corp Certification
(2020-04-23) Kelley-Bell, Hannah; Espitia, Jonathan
This Masters Project summarizes the B Corp certification process undergone by Counter Culture Coffee. Through an in-depth look at company practices, completing the B Corp Assessment, conversations with employees, using tools like Climate Smart for emissions reporting and analyzing other coffee companies with B Corp Certifications, the researchers were able to identify areas where Counter Culture excelled and opportunities for improvement. The result is a list of recommendations and process improvements that can be implemented to strengthen Counter Culture’s B Corp application and general company operations.
Open Access
Methods and Challenges of Sustainability Measurement for Small-Scale Coffee Roasters
(2019-04-24) Pfeiffer, Taylor
Strategic consideration of sustainability in business practices can create value for stakeholders, help manage supply chain risks from climate change, improve employee and customer retention, and increase the financial performance of a company (Whelan & Fink, 2016). Following the classic adage, “what gets measured, gets managed,” businesses across industries have realized the importance of quantitative sustainability assessment for internal accountability and external transparency purposes (Gardner et al., 2018). The coffee industry has embraced the idea of sustainability, but confusion exists regarding exactly how to measure and track sustainability impacts throughout coffee’s complex global value chain. Industry groups and agricultural sustainability organizations have provided some guidance on the topic of which sustainability metrics roasting companies should measure, but efforts to standardize these criteria across the industry have thus far failed to take into account the perspectives of small-scale roasting companies. Roasters range widely in size, and those on the smaller end of the spectrum may have access to fewer resources, different partnerships, and a variety of rationales for pursuing sustainability initiatives. These three factors may influence the way in which roasting companies choose to measure their impacts. The overarching objective of this research was to document the current methods of sustainability measurement used by smaller roasters and the main challenges that these roasters face in their pursuit of measurement. My results are intended to be shared with the industry so that groups such as the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and the Global Coffee Platform (GCP) can take the perspectives of smaller roasters into account in their efforts to standardize sustainability metrics across the coffee sector. More specifically, my research questions were: 1) How does a roasting company’s motivation or rationale for measuring sustainability metrics influence their sustainability measurement? 2) How does the scale/size of a roaster influence their sustainability measurement? 3) How do partnerships with different types of organizations influence a roaster’s sustainability measurement? Methods I conducted 15 semi-structured key actor interviews with 10 representatives from smaller-scale coffee roasting companies across the U.S. and five interviews with industry representatives. Interviews were transcribed and coded using NVivo 12 qualitative analysis software (NVivo, 2018). Coding results were then used to inform the design of an online survey for small-scale coffee roasters. The structure of the survey followed a similar format to the interview guide and included questions regarding roasting company size, company use of sustainability metrics, rationale and motivation for measurement, existing partnerships, and demographic information. The survey was distributed with help from the SCA, World Coffee Research (WCR), and the roasting company representatives interviewed. I received 40 survey submissions, of which 35 were complete. Survey results were compiled and visualized in Qualtrics survey software. Results The following five themes were identified and explored throughout the interview process: A. Area of focus under the broader sustainability umbrella B. Metrics currently measured by small-scale roasters and why C. Feasibility of sustainability measurement D. Influence of roasting company size on sustainability measurement E. Partnership support for general sustainability efforts and sustainability measurement Interview and survey results suggest that sustainability efforts in the industry place an emphasis on the economic and social sustainability of producers, but sustainability measurement seems to focus on environmental and social sustainability at the roaster operations segment of the supply chain. Internal accountability and marketing were the top two rationales for measurement mentioned by key actors in interviews. However, internal accountability was stated as the singular top motivation to record metrics by 45% of survey respondents, suggesting that marketing benefits may be secondary to main internal drivers of measurement. Similarly, roasters seem to first look to their internal mission to decide which metrics to measure. Roasters then turn to certification/reporting schemes and coffee industry organizations for guidance regarding exactly which metrics to track. However, neither of these two entities were commonly mentioned as partners that help roasters actually measure sustainability. Rather, supply chain partners (importers, exporters, etc.) and sustainability assessment companies were indicated as partners that actively help roasters measure metrics by providing access to the information. Issues related to data collection and management are the biggest barrier to measurement for smaller roasters, with data management softwares/technologies and partnerships (with other smaller roasters and with sustainability assessment companies) seeming to offer the most promise in overcoming this barrier. Recommendations Given these results, I provide the following recommendations to smaller roasters and coffee industry groups. Small-scale roasters: - Company internal social metrics may be easy to measure, but if the industry truly wants to address economic and social sustainability of producers (as was found in interviews), roasters need to dig deeper into measurement of producer profitability. The only metric related to producer wellbeing that is commonly measured is FOB (Free on Board) price, or the price a roasting company pays for coffee ready for export, which does not accurately represent producer profitability. - Look to supply chain partners for guidance on what to measure, given they are generally helpful in designing and/or measuring sustainability metrics (as indicated by survey results). These entities are also closer to producer communities in the supply chain than roasting companies themselves, and therefore, may be more aware of producer needs. - Form roaster partnerships to increase buying power when dealing with trading partners. In doing so, smaller roasters will leverage their ability to request sustainability related information about the green coffee they are buying from these trading partners, which they feel that they are not able to do when buying independently. Roaster partnerships will also increase representation of small-scale roasters in the sustainability dialogue to match the true extent of their presence in the industry. - Utilize third party sustainability assessment companies, if possible. Although their services come at a cost to the roaster, these companies seem to be the most helpful partners in designing and/or measuring metrics. Industry groups: - Use influence wisely by taking the perspectives and challenges of smaller-sized roasters into account in efforts of sustainability criteria standardization. A standardized list of metrics will facilitate collaboration and benchmarking in the coffee sector, but further excluding smaller roasters from the sustainability dialogue will lead to the creation of unrealistic and ineffective sustainability criteria. - Dedicate resources to researching data collection/management solutions for roasters, considering this was the main barrier to measuring sustainability indicated by key actors. Creating and improving data management systems and technologies will help advance sustainability measurement in the coffee sector. - Explore ways to make sustainability assessment companies more affordable so that smaller roasters who have limited financial resources can take advantage of their tools and services.
Open Access
The Future of Coffee Production in a Changing Climate – Will Demand Outpace Supply?
(2021-04-28) Corwin, Garrett; Feng, Phoenix; Johnson, Kathryn; Naghavi, Sara
The coffee sector is valued at $102 billion, but its future growth is at risk of a supply deficit due to climate change. Conservation International (CI) is a global environmental nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving forested and protected land from future coffee expansion. To achieve CI’s goal, a methodology was developed to project coffee supply into 2050, considering changing bioclimatic and social conditions for Brazil and Vietnam’s coffee industries. Estimated supply was forecasted based on quantifiable variables. For variables that were only qualifiable, their influence on production was analyzed using magnitude and direction. Results show numerous bioclimatic and social parameters negatively affect coffee production, the most profound being increases in atmospheric temperature. Our work will continue to be augmented with additional research to understand the interaction and quantifiable effects of these variables on future production and forest/protected land encroachment. This project additionally outlines high-level management and investment recommendations to incentivize industry action.