Resources
Organizations, documents, and reference material for understanding the global coffee trade.
External Organizations
Key Organizations
International Coffee Organization (ICO)
The intergovernmental body for coffee, publishing trade data, price reports, and policy documents covering the global coffee economy.
Fairtrade International
Sets and enforces Fairtrade standards for coffee and other commodities. Publishes annual monitoring reports on producer conditions and price premiums.
Rainforest Alliance
A major certification body for sustainable agriculture. Publishes sustainability standards and impact reports covering labor and environmental conditions.
Global Coffee Platform (GCP)
Multi-stakeholder platform tracking sustainability commitments and supply chain transparency initiatives across major coffee companies.
Oxfam — Behind the Brands
Oxfam's scorecard initiative rating major food and beverage companies on supply chain transparency, land rights, and worker treatment.
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
Tracks corporate human rights conduct globally, including allegations, responses, and legal proceedings in the coffee and agricultural sectors.
Research & Reading
Documents & Reports
ICO Coffee Report — Annual Review
Annual statistical review of global coffee production, trade volumes, consumption, and price trends by country and region.
Bitter Harvest: Child Labor in Agriculture
Documents child labor conditions across agricultural supply chains including coffee, with country-specific findings and policy recommendations.
The True Cost of a Cup of Coffee
Breaks down how revenue is distributed across the coffee supply chain, from farm gate to retail, with data on farmer income versus retail price.
Coffee Barometer
Independent biennial assessment of sustainability progress in the coffee sector — covers certification, living income, deforestation, and more.
EU Deforestation Regulation — Impact on Coffee
The full text and guidance notes for the EU regulation requiring coffee importers to prove their supply chains are deforestation-free.
Living Income Reference Price Studies
Country-level studies calculating the living income benchmark for coffee-growing households and the gap between current prices and what farmers actually need.
Reference
Glossary of Trade Terms
- C-Price
- The benchmark price for arabica coffee traded on the New York Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). Most physical coffee contracts are priced as a differential above or below the C-Price.
- Differential
- The premium or discount applied to the C-Price for a specific lot of coffee, reflecting origin, quality, and market conditions. Differentials can be positive or deeply negative.
- Farm Gate Price
- The price paid to the farmer at the point of sale, before processing, export, or transport costs. Often a fraction of the retail price of roasted coffee.
- Living Income
- The net annual income required for a household to afford a decent standard of living. Most coffee farmers earn well below the living income benchmark for their country.
- Washed / Natural
- Processing methods that affect coffee flavor. Washed (wet-processed) removes fruit before drying; natural (dry-processed) dries the whole cherry. Both affect farmworker labor conditions differently.
- Cupping Score
- A standardized quality score (0–100) assigned by certified Q-graders. Specialty coffee typically scores 80+. Scores affect price but do not reflect labor or environmental conditions.
- UTZ / Rainforest Alliance
- UTZ was a major sustainability certification that merged with the Rainforest Alliance in 2018. The combined standard is now the most widely used in the industry.
- FOB (Free on Board)
- A trade term meaning the seller's responsibility ends when coffee is loaded onto the export vessel. The buyer assumes risk and cost from that point. FOB prices are commonly used in green coffee trade.
- Green Coffee
- Unroasted coffee beans. The commodity traded internationally. Green coffee prices are far removed from the roasted retail prices consumers see.
- Specialty Coffee
- Coffee scoring 80+ on the SCA cupping scale. A growing market segment often associated with higher prices and direct trade — though transparency and farmer premiums vary widely.
- Direct Trade
- A sourcing relationship in which a roaster buys directly from a producer, bypassing traditional intermediaries. Quality and ethics vary significantly; the term is unregulated.
- Commodity Coffee
- Lower-grade coffee traded in bulk, typically blended and used in mass-market products. Prices are set almost entirely by the C-Price and offer farmers little negotiating power.
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