More and more coffee drinkers are becoming concerned about the social, environmental, and economic impact that their coffee purchases are having. For some consumers, this concern will lead them to buy coffee that is certified.

The design of coffee certifications is logical: having a third party check the working of others to make sure that the coffee produced is upholding certain standards makes a lot of sense. This way, the consumer can be confident that the coffee that they buy, which is labelled ‘organic’, for example, is what it says it is.

While this is a valuable avenue for some, you aren’t likely to find certified coffees on our offer lists. We do not seek coffee that is certified, nor do we hold certification ourselves, because we can have the most impact by working with the producers for whom certification is just not an option. We seek to work where the most impact can be had.

Why isn’t certification an option for some producers?

The certification process takes time and resources. To apply for certification, a producer will typically have to complete the following steps:

1. Review the compliance criteria

To qualify for certification, a business must meet certain criteria. Generally, the certification criterion concerns:

a) The structure of a business (e.g., whether individual producers may apply or must be part of a larger cooperative)

b) It’s management (e.g., how decisions are made, and profits are utilised) and/or

c) How it operates (e.g., what kind of equipment or chemicals can be used, who works there and for how many hours per month, etc.)

Usually, some changes will need to be made to the business before it can be seen as a candidate for certification.

2. Put together an application

To apply for certification, a producer (or collective) will need to submit paperwork which demonstrates that they satisfy the compliance criteria. This usually requires filling out extensive questionnaires and providing supporting documentation (e.g., business plans, management policies and procedures for monitoring progress and impact).

3. Submit to an audit

Once the application has been reviewed, an auditor from the certification program will be sent to confirm that the business does in fact satisfy the compliance criteria. They will check paperwork, observe how the business operates and interview employees.

4. Receive Feedback

The auditor’s assessment will determine whether certification is granted. If it is granted, the auditor will return to do both scheduled and spontaneous audits to make sure that the business remains compliant throughout the certification period (which is usually several years).

If certification is not granted, the auditor will explain what changes need to be made before certification can be granted. In this case, the auditor will return to do another assessment after the changes have been made.

While these four steps may seem simple enough, there are several reasons why a producer may not be able to complete them:

1. Making the kind of structural, managerial, or operational changes required for certification may not be possible for some producers. They may, for example, live in a location that makes forming a cooperative of the size necessary for some certifications unachievable. Or they may not be able to hire the number of workers for the number of hours mandated by the certification.

2. Some producers may also face language and literacy barriers trying to complete the application or keep the detailed records needed to monitor their progress and impact.

And utimately,

3. Many farmers simply cannot afford to become certified.

Most certification programs charge both an application fee and an annual certification fee. Some programs will also charge a fee each time an audit is completed, which will happen at least once a year, but more if the auditor is required to return for additional inspections (for example, if the business fails to satisfy any of the compliance criteria).

There may also be additional costs involved in making a business compliant. Certifications that prohibit the use of certain pesticides and fertilisers, for example, typically require that these products not be used on the farm for a certain period (which could be several years) before certification can be granted. This means that a producer could be waiting years before they see any financial return for their efforts. Without the use of pesticides and fertilisers, it is also likely that their trees will yield less cherry, meaning that for the first few years after making the necessary changes, a producer will make less money than they did previously.

*Coffee producer Twagirinshuti Germain in Nyabihu, Rwanda*

Certification is a risk. For some producers this risk will pay off. Once they complete the steps for certification and get past any waiting period, they will start earning more money for their coffee. They will likely even gain new skills along the way by working as part of a cooperative, or learning to design and implement policies and procedures.

But what about the producers who can’t afford to take the risk? Well, that’s where we come in.

We work with communities where we can have the maximum impact. To determine our impact, we consider where the need is highest, our capabilities to address this need, and whether there are others working in this area.

Where we can, we work with producers, for whom certification may not be practical or possible. This is not to say that the producers who we work with do not, for example, grow organic coffee or use farming practices that protect the rainforests and waterways. In fact, all the coffee that we import from Timor-Leste is organically grown, since the producers in this region do not have access to fertilisers and pesticides. There, we work with them to maximise the real market value of their coffee and then get as much of this value back to them as possible.

So, should you buy certified coffee or maximum impact coffee? Well, that’s a decision only you can make. Perhaps you buy both. Coffee consumers have tremendous purchasing power, so if this top is important to you, do your research, and ask your importers questions, to make sure that your cup is doing the best it can do.

Are certifications more of a barrier than a good, for coffee producers?