Transparency in the Coffee Community | "The Pledge"

Kaffeekommune is now a member of "The Pledge"! For over a year, we have been investing a lot of energy, time, and resources into this project. We had to completely restructure our purchasing processes and, unfortunately, also say goodbye to some suppliers. From now on, we will substantiate our actions with facts and figures, thus giving meaning to the word transparency.

At Kaffeekommune, everything revolves around coffee, that much is clear. At the same time, we believe in bringing people together for conversations. Especially in the café and also through collaboration with farmers in the growing countries. Digitally, this happens through our online platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram, here on this website, and our blog. We operate within a community that exchanges ideas and learns from each other – a kind of creative space centered around coffee and everything that goes with it. Transparency is a fundamental principle by which we operate on many different levels.

The maxim "Sharing is Caring" might have already resonated with you in connection with Kaffeekommune. We are happy to share all the knowledge and experience that Kaffeekommune has gathered over the years. This includes coffee recipes, expertise about brewing equipment, and our open counter concept in the café, where you can always see what we are doing. We also don't have a door to the kitchen. For the Kaffeekommune team, it has long become commonplace to involve guests during work and literally have them present. Thinking as a collective and sharing insights are among our core principles.

However, the path of transparent action encompasses much more. Signing "The Pledge" means that you can access all the information you want about our coffee from the comfort of your sofa. This includes all facts, figures, and data related to the coffee's journey from the growing country to your cup. We disclose our handling of coffee to you; for us, transparency means accessibility.

"The Pledge" is a code of standardized principles that all members uphold. This membership is voluntary. Signatories commit to disclosing important data concerning coffee trade. The goal is to quickly show you, as a guest of Kaffeekommune, with a single click how transparent the journey of coffee truly is from its origin to you. This allows you to form your own assessment. Kaffeekommune thus aligns itself with certain principles shared by all members of "The Pledge". We are  honest with our guests and consider participation a significant step towards fair trade relations and sustainability. 

Membership in "The Pledge" requires certain information:

-The producers from whom the green coffee was purchased.

-The FOB price paid for the coffee. 

-The SCA scoring used to evaluate the coffee.

-The lot size of the coffee purchased, i.e., the amount of green coffee acquired.

-The duration of the business relationship between the producers and Kaffeekommune. 

-The percentage of transparently sourced coffee in relation to the total volume of coffee sold in the current year.  

We promise to actively contribute to fair dealings with coffee producers. We want to promote long-term trade relationships, purchase the highest quality coffee, and stand against the exploitation of people in the countries of origin. Due to geographical distance, cooperation with our partners in the country of origin is always complex, and direct access to green coffee is not immediate. We had to agree on other forms of collaboration to ensure transparency and fairness.

This certainly requires extra effort from us. However, as we have our own roastery, we bear direct responsibility for the coffee farmers, which increases with every kilogram of coffee roasted. You can be sure that every coffee you buy from us has been demonstrably traded and fairly paid for. This is the only way coffee cultivation can continue to thrive in the future.

To the Transparency Report ->

¹ FOB stands for "free on board" and is a contractual clause in foreign trade transactions. The seller of the coffee bears responsibility for the product and associated costs until the coffee is loaded undamaged onto the ship. These costs include, for example, transport to the export port or loading fees. After that, the buyer bears the responsibility and costs.

² The SCA is the Specialty Coffee Association. It has developed a scoring system to evaluate green coffee. This allows coffee to be physically and psychologically assessed and categorized into "regular coffee" and "specialty coffee."