Is there such a thing as coffee that is not bitter for those who work?

Please select English subtitles

The coffee market

80% of coffee is produced by 20 million small-scale producers. Over 120 million people in more than 70 countries rely on the coffee supply chain for their livelihoods.
(Fonti: FAO & Fair Trade UK).

In September 2018, coffee farmers sounded the alarm: the dramatic fall in the price of coffee beans threatens the already precarious survival of 20 million farming families around the world.
(Fonte: “Coffee: World Markets and Trade” – USDA, United States Department of Agriculture).

In 2019/2020 we witnessed a contraction in volumes compared to the previous year: Arabica plants grown in Brazil enter the year of poor production of the two -year cycle of the supply chain.

(Fonte: “Coffee: World Markets and Trade” – USDA, United States Department of Agriculture)

Climate change and coffee production

In recent years, coffee production has been influenced
by climate change, with significantly negative consequences.

The ethical solution: the Altromercato coffee supply chain

The choice of quality relationships with our producers, characterized by direct relationships, trust and transparency.
The choice to recognize the value of work and pay a fair price.
The choice to respect the environment, to encourage organic production, to improve traditional cultivation techniques and preserve biodiversity. These are all choices that contribute to creating a really good coffee.

The high social impact of our coffee supply chain

LOWEST PRICE GUARANTEE

Fair salary agreed with producers, higher than the market one.

CONTINUITY IN THE RELATIONSHIP

After a probationary period of up to two years for each new producer, the Fair Trade organization ensures a stable relationship.

QUALITY OF THE RELATIONSHIP

The relationship with our manufacturing partners is one of sales, technical support and cooperation. We establish transparent, continuous and long-lasting business relationships with producers (with Uciri it has lasted for over 25 years).

TRACEABILITY

From the expiry date on the package, we can always identify the batch and then trace the relevant manufacturers that we know well.

RELATION

Trust, transparency and continuity.

RESPECT FOR RIGHTS

We are committed to ensuring that workers’ rights are protected.

The low environmental impact of our coffee supply chain

MULTI-STEP COLLECTION

The coffee is harvested by hand, in several steps. That of small producers is the best method both for the quality of the coffee obtained and because it respects the ripening times of the plants.

SUSTAINABLE CULTIVATION

Traditional cultivation methods are mostly used in the shade of other trees, which protect the soil from erosion and allow biodiversity to be conserved.

COFFEE GARDENS

It is a diversified cultivation, which involves the sowing of different varieties of plants and trees for the use and consumption of the producing families.

NO TO INTENSIVE CULTIVATION,
NO TO THE USE OF CHEMICALS

The crops in our supply chains respect the land and the people who take care of it.

RECYCLABLE, ECO-FRIENDLY
AND INNOVATIVE PACKAGING

The packaging is completely recyclable in plastic and free of aluminium. As well as the capsules, which are recyclable too.

NO TO WATER POLLUTION

Due to the wet treatment of coffee, aquifers, rivers and other water sources are often polluted and inspections by large producers are very poor. Small producers, on the other hand, have invested in improving these systems and avoiding water pollution.

Organic coffee from Altromercato

High percentage of organic coffee

Altromercato encourages the production of organic coffee, that which best respects the environment and supports producers during the conversion of land. Today, the amount of organic green coffee we import from manufacturing organizations exceeds that of conventional coffee.

During 2018/2019 we imported 217 tons of certified organic coffee and 115 tons of conventional coffee: 65% of the total imported green coffee is certified organic.

About 60 million cups were drunk in 2019/2020. More than 60% is organic.

Our origins

High percentage of organic coffee

Altromercato collaborates with various coffee producers, with whom it establishes a long-lasting relationship based on transparency and equality. We work so that people are fairly paid, so that there is no speculation or exploitation of work and rights, but there is care and respect for the land. The value of what we pay is not a high price, nor a low price, but it is a fair price, which is transformed into quality, respect, taste.