Bettering Days With Food 4 Farmers

Sustainability Update: Why We Support Food 4 Farmers

A message from Andi, our VP of Coffee & Sustainability

The NY Times recently published an informative article on the increasing price pressures hitting green (unroasted) coffee. The article does a good job covering the sustained upside price increases we’ve been mitigating at Philz, and there’s a lot to talk about under my coffee sourcing hat. Under my sustainability hat, however, this article sparked thought in a different direction.?

My first look at the article came when I read an email from a fellow Food 4 Farmers (F4F) board member. He remarked, “How sad that the NYT couldn’t find space in this story for the farmers!” This comment was quickly followed by additional board member responses, such as: “Very frustrating, indeed. I've seen this news in other outlets, and the focus is the same everywhere: not on the farmers.”???

As I read the article, I was able to pull out some places where there is at least a reference to the impact on farmers. But I also see that these references are more about impacts on us as buyers and consumers of coffee. It’s telling the story of significant cost increases roasters are facing that will drive price increases for consumers. This story is valid. However, the story I feel compelled to share with Philz customers is about coffee farmers.

Coffee farmers are experiencing the recent financial impacts that we as buyers, sellers, and consumers of specialty coffee are feeling. But these coffee farmers are feeling these impacts on top of years of pre-Covid poverty and food insecurity. In other words, more bad news on top of this systemic truth: Coffee remains an undervalued commodity and coffee farmers feel that deeply.??

This is not something we feel good about at Philz as we seek to live our mission to “better people’s days.” We grapple regularly with how to balance our customers, our team, and our suppliers to deliver on our mission. Within the very complex coffee supply chain, our best efforts are nowhere near perfect.

However, this article reminded me to celebrate something we have done right: Our support for Food 4 Farmers. According to Janice Nadworny, the organization’s co-founder, F4F works directly in coffee farming communities to “strengthen local food systems, support farming in harmony with nature, and develop strategies that diversify income, improve nutrition, and build climate resilience for farming families and their communities.” I have had the unique opportunity to look closely into the work of F4F for many years and have witnessed their success in driving real, sustainable impact for farmers.??

While we know we can’t guarantee that we are bettering everyone’s day up and down our coffee supply chain with every transaction, we do know that we are not forgetting about the farmers. And we know that we will not stop trying to improve upon our work. We appreciate the farmers tremendously and trust in F4F, along with our Philz Preferred Partner importers, to remind us what’s needed to help the people at the heart of our business.

One final note: Philz has been supporting F4F since we first began purchasing green coffee beans. To date, we have donated over $500,000 and look forward to that number climbing. So when you purchase Philz Coffee, you are helping us assist this amazing organization. Thanks for all your support.

_____

Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest from Philz. We’ll keep you posted on store openings, fun events, promotions, news, and more:?Philz News Letter

This article and more can be found on our:?Community Updates Page