By: Justin C.
As part of the coffee supply chain, buyers and roasters like Klatch Coffee play a critical role in ensuring the sustainable growth and development of the coffee industry, and in the health and diversity of the coffee plant itself.
As a coffee drinker, you can join us to also contribute to coffee’s sustainability - via the purchasing choices you make, the methods of coffee preparation you use, and what you do with coffee grounds, filters, pods, and other consumables after use.
What is World Coffee Research?
World Coffee Research (WCR) is a 501(c)(5) non-profit, with a mission to grow, protect, and enhance supplies of quality coffee while improving the livelihoods of the families who produce it. WCR is supported by the investment of 170+ companies in 29 countries across the world, including Klatch Coffee.
The availability and supply of high quality coffee is seriously threatened, and WCR recognizes that there is a significant lack of research being conducted to identify appropriate and innovative ways to ensure supply, safeguard natural resources, secure origin diversity, and increase cup quality.
Coffee producers are vulnerable, especially with climate change compounding challenges, and while global coffee consumption is increasing, supply is rapidly consolidating to a few dominant countries. To meet these challenges, WCR conducts critical research initiatives, such as trials to evaluate coffee variety performance in different environments globally, genetic breeding to develop new, more productive and disease/pest resistant varieties suitable for climates of the future, and professionalize the nursery and seed sector to give producers access to the varieties and choices they need.
What does success look like? For member organizations like Klatch Coffee, a healthy coffee supply chain includes: reduced risk to supply of coffee, continued diversity in coffee varieties and origins, all while meeting climate and sustainability targets. Investing in the work of organizations like World Coffee Research play a critical role in meeting these goals.
Who funds World Coffee Research?
WCR is funded directly by coffee industry stakeholders - equipment manufacturers, importers, and roasters like Klatch Coffee who have made a commitment to forging the future of coffee.
How does sustainability affect the coffee I drink?
At Klatch, sustainability directly impacts our decisions around coffee sourcing and roasting. Many Klatch Coffees are sourced using a Direct Trade coffee model. In Direct Trade, Klatch buys directly from the growers, who share our commitment to ethics, excellence, quality, and environmental stewardship.
By cutting out the middleman, we’re able to pay well above Fair-Trade minimums (by at least 25%), but often pay double or triple those prices, based on the cup quality. This buying model is designed to encourage viable, meaningful careers in specialty coffee agriculture. Klatch team members, like Roastmaster Mike Perry, visit coffee farms bi-annually to ensure the farmer is committed to healthy environmental, social, and economic practices for their farm, workers, and surrounding community.
How does Klatch participate in World Coffee Research?
Shawn Hamilton, Klatch Coffee’s VP of Operations, serves as Treasurer of the Board of Directors of World Coffee Research. During his career, Shawn has worked in almost every area of expertise in the coffee industry, including barista, roasting, quality control, buying, and management.
Shawn has a deep commitment to volunteerism within the coffee industry, including teaching and evaluating cuppers for Coffee Corps in Colombia and serving as a lead judge in the annual Cupping for Quality for the Rainforest Alliance. He has also served on the Board of the Pacific Coast Coffee Association, and is a founding member of the Roasters Guild.
What does “sustainable” mean?
Sustainability means a healthy coffee industry, including:
- Healthy, genetically diverse coffee plants
- Fair wages for coffee farmers
- Environmentally sensitive processes, materials, and shipping
What can you do to ensure a sustainable coffee industry?
Small efforts made individually can add up to meaningful change. Consider:
- Supporting advocates like World Coffee Research by purchasing from roasters which are member organizations
- Choosing the right filter
- Paper is a renewable resource; choose unbleached filters when possible, like the Chemex FS-100
- Dispose of used filters responsibly. Depending on the type, they are not likely to be recyclable in your community, but may be compostable as a next-best alternative
- Carefully choose pod coffee
- If you prepare coffee using pods, consider the impact of single-use plastic. Klatch Coffee is now available in pod form through our partner Bruvi, with their B-Pod system. While plastic isn’t perfect, B-Pods are designed to break down much more rapidly in a landfill compared with untreated plastics, through an organic process that leaves behind no microplastics.
- Consider composting used coffee grounds as well
