What is Direct Trade VS Fair Trade? Are all Stumptown Coffees Direct Trade?

Direct Trade

Most of our coffees are Direct Trade! We’re as serious as it gets about our sourcing practices. We work hard to ensure that our supply chain is transparent. That means regular visits, frequent feedback, and forming long-term partnerships with producers.

To Stumptown, Direct Trade means that we maintain close relationships with our coffee-producing partners and pay premiums for the qualities we receive. We work hard to ensure that our supply chain is transparent. We're proud to have pioneered the Direct Trade model of sourcing green coffee. Since we started buying coffee directly from producers in 2002, the industry has changed dramatically and lots of other folks have adopted similar-sounding approaches.

For clarity's sake, here's what we mean when we say Direct Trade:

• Direct Trade is built on three principles: pay higher prices tied to quality, not the commodity market; work with producers we know, so we have transparency into their side of the supply chain and they have transparency into ours; and maintain those relationships over many years, striving to build truly collaborative partnerships. These pillars support Stumptown's vision of what a coffee experience should be, and that vision permeates every level of our business.

Fair Trade

We buy from many Fair Trade cooperatives around the world for both Blends and Single Origins, and pay more than double the Fair Trade minimum price. However we do not label them as Fair Trade Certified.