IMPACT No. 03 - carbon neutral coffee produced by women

Produced by women

According to a report from the International Coffee Organization, women make up 70% of the work in coffee production. [1] At the same time, the report states that only 20-30% of coffee farms are run by women, and that women in the industry have "systematically lower access to resources, such as land, bank credit and information, than men."

These inequalities not only result in a lack of recognition for their work and their product, but also have an economic cost. Due to the difference in access to resources, the income of female-headed households is significantly lower than that of male-headed households – up to 44% lower.

Support women's rights

This coffee is grown and produced exclusively by women.

When you buy this coffee, you support their work and give them the opportunity to have the same financial security and freedom as their male counterparts.

In addition to supporting the women producers directly by trading with them, the coffee also supports the project that the coffee cooperative calls the Nascentes project.

The Nascentes project

Nascentes is a women-led project that aims to strengthen women's positions in the coffee industry by supporting female producers in the Campo das Vertentes area of ​​Brazil. In addition to visibility, market access and recognition of their product, the project offers training and assistance in improving the quality of their coffee.

Read more:

CleverCoffee: We need to talk about women in the coffee industry

Sancoffee: Nascentes

We paid the coffee farmer 21% more for this coffee

...in comparison, Fairtrade certified coffee typically has a premium of less than 10% for the farmer. And the certification is not free either.

Research shows time and again that certifications such as Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance have no demonstrable positive effect on the living conditions of coffee farmers. (Cordes and Sagan, 2021)

Western coffee companies are making huge profits while coffee farmers around the world live in poverty. This is wrong, and we need to change that.

That's why we pay more for the coffee beans we import.

44% of coffee farmers worldwide still live in poverty. At least 5.5 million coffee farmers live below the international poverty line of $3.20 a day. Studies show that one-third of coffee farmers earn less than $100 annually from coffee production (Enveritas, 2018; Sachs et al., 2019).

When we pay farmers more, we give them the opportunity to invest in themselves and their businesses. This leads to further growth and the opportunity to invest in more sustainable farming practices such as reducing water use and reforestation projects.

The calculation:

We paid the farmer: $6.83/kg

The market price at the time of the contract was: 5.53 $/kg (ICO Brazilian Naturals)

This means we have paid the farmer 21% more than the market price.

Documentation

See the complete overview of the payments we have made for our coffee beans in our annual transparency report: CleverCoffee: Transparency Report

Sources

"Responsible Coffee Sourcing: Towards a Living Income for Producers" (Cordes and Sagan, 2021)

"Why do coffee farmers stay poor? : Breaking vicious circles with direct payments from profit sharing" (Ruben, 2023)

"Six Transformations to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)" (Sachs et al., 2019)

CleverCoffee is a certified B Corp.

The coffee you buy at CleverCoffee leaves a well-documented, positive impact on the world.

In our opinion, B Corp certification is the world's most stringent third-party verification, guaranteeing that you are buying your coffee from a responsible company.

When we were certified in 2021, we were only company number 30 in Denmark. Today there are more than 100.

The B Corp certification verifies our work in:

• Environment
• Social (Workers/Community/Customers)
• Governance

We thus have extensive documentation that we use our primary business to create a positive impact on the world.

As a customer at CleverCoffee, you contribute to ensuring that coffee farmers can live a life above the poverty line and that they can afford to develop their farms so that they have a long-term source of income.

In addition to contributing positively to the living conditions of coffee farmers, CleverCoffee's B Corp certification is your assurance that we always source our coffee responsibly and with the environment in mind.

What was our score?

When we were certified back in 2021, we received the following score:

• Governance 15.7
• Workers 20.0
• Community 27.2
• Environment 25.2
• Customers 0.0

Total: 88.2

We have begun the recertification process in 2024. Due to new initiatives and progress, we expect a significant increase in points for our new certification.

Documentation

B Corp: CleverCoffee

Direct Trade – No Middleman

We know our coffee farmers personally because we trade directly with them. This gives us a highly transparent value chain without unnecessary intermediaries.

It provides you with added assurance and brings you closer to the farm.

Direct trade means, among other things:

• More transparency
• More traceability
• Better payment to the coffee farmer

The vast majority of our coffee is purchased directly from the farmers. In 2024, 98% of our coffee was sourced through direct trade.

By cutting out the middleman, we know exactly where the money goes, ensuring that as much as possible ends up with the farmer — who has been underpaid for more than 40 years.

Direct trade allows us to better ensure quality and accountability at the source. At the same time, farmers gain access to valuable insights about the European market, new EU regulations, and more, through our partnership.

With direct trade, we achieve a much higher degree of transparency and traceability — something that’s crucial when it comes to documenting farming methods, working conditions, and whether a particular coffee has contributed to deforestation.

A short and transparent supply chain

We always work with as short and transparent a supply chain as possible. 98% of our coffee is purchased directly from the coffee farm, without using a middleman.

The vast majority of our roasted coffee is also purchased directly from us - with the exception of a few retailers, such as coffee shops and specialty stores. You cannot buy our coffee in any large chains or on online marketplaces.

This means that there are fewer parties who have to "have a piece of the pie" and we ensure better payment for the coffee farms, which have been underpaid and living in poverty for decades.

The supply chain for this coffee looks like this:

• The coffee is grown in Brazil in the Campo Das Vertentes area.
• The coffee cherries have been processed at the coffee cooperative Sancoffee's own washing station.
• The green coffee beans are imported directly to CleverCoffee by ship to the Port of Aarhus.
• The coffee is roasted and packaged at CleverCoffee in our own roastery outside Aarhus.