Bluebird Coffee Roastery

When I started Bluebird, I had no idea how unsustainable the coffee supply chain is. I was aware of the term specialty coffee and I assumed that as a consumer, if I was buying specialty coffee, I was helping farmers get paid more as generally the coffee was more expensive. The roastery selling the coffee was also usually marketing it as sustainable. When I learned that most of that coffee was super cheap, yet tasty coffee, that was still traded on c-price, I became pretty negative about the whole industry. Soon after that my wife and I travelled to Europe and I had the opportunity to spend some time talking to some fantastic roasters and business owners who were sold out to transparent trade. Why? To make the industry better by setting a new benchmark pricing system. One that is better for farmers and producers.

The reason we have decided to Trade Transparent is to be a part of the solution. The South African market is very price sensitive meaning that although we are paying the same $ price for our coffee, we cannot sell it for what our European colleagues can. We just run lower margins and get on with it. Importantly, this is not a marketing strategy. Our company is doing pretty well without having to differentiate ourselves in this way. This is merely who we are, how we operate and we are happy to share these figures with you.

I believe that everyday, in our individual lives and careers, we make decisions which either harm or help. In every step I take in growing our company, I aim to make the often hard(expensive) but correct decisions which are better for people, environment, quality and then profit. That is why we buy the coffees we do in the way that we do. Generously, with line of sight to the farms and producers and with the intention of building long term, meaningful relationships.

I want to thank you for choosing to buy our coffee.