Regardless of the independent endorsement or certification achieved we will only work alongside coffee producers who are committed to producing exceptional quality coffee in a sustainable and fair environment for all those involved.
Even though a large percentage of our coffee is FairTrade or Rainforest Alliance certified (for example our Espresso Blend is 100% Fair Trade) we have decided to opt for a buying system that allows us to buy on quality as well as ethically. We work with a number of small plantations who are not certified but support their workers through a fair wage and by reinvesting a fix percentage to foundations that support education, social welfare, housing etc. We actually pay over 40% above market price to buy from these smaller plantations and we feel it is worth it.
Most of the worlds coffee packaging is made from Aluminium. The mining of Aluminium is bad for the environment, open mining techniques used in Russia, China and South America are energy intensive and creates huge amounts of "red mud"(iron and titanium oxides) which is very difficult to dispose of in an environmentally safe way. Our new packaging is completely aluminium free, is printed with environmentally safe ink and is a massive step forward in producing a completely recyclable/bio-degradable coffee bag, let's hope the big coffee companies now follow suit and put environmental issues before profits...please drop us an email at friends@paddyandscotts.co.uk to find out more about Fairer Trade.
Click on the logo below to read a letter (pdf format, 52KB) from the Kariandusi School Trust.
WE ALWAYS BUY ON QUALITY, NEVER ON PRICE.
We will buy Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance Coffee where possible as long as the quality of the bean is guaranteed.
We will always buy our beans direct from small fincas, co-op estates and traditional "shade-grown" producers who compete on a daily basis against the ultra-productive coffee farms and their machine-picked, disease-resistant hybrid coffee products.
For example, The Honey Farm Estate, Mysore in India are not certified with any label but re-invest a fixed percentage of monies traded direct to the Foundation of the Maranatha Community. We pay more for our beans knowing the extra money is being re-invested direct to the families involved in the production, no international red tape, no middle men, no bureaucracy.
Foundation of the Maranatha Community Supports: 72 families and 365 people
10% of the production cost of every 100 lbs of green coffee goes to the Maranatha Community to provide:
· Better homes
· Monthly delivery of food and clothing
· Primary Healthcare Program
· Rural Medical Campaigns every 2 to 4 months
We also support several Educational Trusts, which is obviously very close to our hearts. Through the purchase of their coffee we have supported the following:
· 9 Alphabetization Centers for children and adults
· First Health School
· Courses in Lidership School
· Consolidation of liders per farm
· Vocational Schools
· Modern caficulture techniques
· Mental health courses
Columbian Coffee - Cooperative Association of Southern Cauca
It is composed of 15 farmer associations and coffee cooperatives from four municipalities in Cauca, a mountainous province of southwestern Colombia.
Thanks to COSURCA members have:
· Prevented the cultivation of more than 1,800 acres of coca and poppy and eradicated more than 500 acres of coca
· Retained their land and maintained organic coffee production, a tradition that began in the area 100 years ago
· Established a food security fund where families grow fruit and vegetables for home consumption
· Created a composting program in several communities to generate organic fertilizer and reduce waste this is the best alternative for these farmers as it provides a fair price, greater stability, and hope for their families and communities