Chronicles sourcing philosophy and ethos?
We really care about our producers. We want to source as directly as possible and make an impact to create better lives at origins. We also care deeply about our coffee partners. We’re not just a coffee supplier, we also provide ongoing support for our cafe partners which can involve training and menu development– I’ve even jumped behind bars for support. The rationale is that if we can sell more coffee, we can source more coffee and pay more to the producers. We want everyone in the supply chain to win, and that’s why we don’t feel the need to have our own cafes.
Did your visit to origin change any preconceptions you had about coffee production or the coffee industry in general?
Oh, absolutely. We often hear about the struggles of farmers, but what I found is that we really need to focus more on how farmers treat their pickers. I’m not saying that farmers are rich, but the ones I’ve met are doing decently well and it’s the picking families that are the ones struggling and sleeping on the streets. Seeing this made me question “why is it that we are paying a premium for specialty coffee, but the money is trapped somewhere along the way?”. The problem is that pickers are usually nomads and do not want to be tied to a farm, which I understand. If you have bad weather and you can’t pick coffee for some reason, you are not getting paid. So, they immediately move to another region to pick not just coffee, but other crops like cocoa or plantain. Job security is difficult to find for pickers, and it’s much more complex than what I had imagined before my first visit.
What do you love most about your job?
I love that the industry is always evolving and keeps me on my toes 24/7.
