Apart from the name on the front of the bag, what is written here usually has to do with the traceability of the coffee and who in the end is responsible for the quality of the coffee. This can be either one name, a few names, a cooperative name, or it might say “smallholder farmers” around an area.

In some countries you will have maybe one person who owns a large estate and all the coffee comes from their plot of land that they manage. In other areas, families will grow very small amounts (possibly in their backyard) and will deliver it to a central area for processing. Many times these are poorer families that can’t afford large plots of land, but still have the knowhow to grow the coffee and make the extra money their family or community needs. In many African coffee producing countries, you will have hundreds of cooperative members who produce very small amount of coffees and then deliver to a central processing station.

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Why it’s on the bag: The people behind the coffee matter. It is important for us to see and recognize the humanity behind the coffee production. When we allow the people who put the hard work and resources into growing coffee to have the recognition they deserve, we all win.