HOE WE ALS GELIJKWAARDIGE PARTNERS WERKEN

WE SHOW UP AS HUMANS NOT JUST ENTREPRENEURS

Our network of roasters is willing to commit as long as they trust that volumes and quality will remain consistent. Farmers, in turn, commit when they receive fair value for their work. Both choose to work with each other, because it’s beneficial for both parties.

We arrive at a price through conversation. It starts with trust, which is built over years, and where everyone can express their needs. It also means that the price the farmers “quote” us, covers their costs and supports their lives. We know from experience that our farmers bring both quantitative and qualitative reasoning to that number and that it evolves every year. Our role is to listen and respect it, not to focus on how that money is  used, just as farmers don’t decide how we, as buyers, spend our income.

By fixing prices together with farmers and returning year after year, we create a market for high-quality coffee that is both usable and affordable—acting as a bridge toward long-term commitments. This Side Up strives to build  consistency in how we work and with whom, making it the  foundation for navigating challenges together.

WE TRADE COFFEE ANTI-COLONIALLY

Trust sits at the center of our model. Our local partners in these 14 countries act as liaisons of trust. They engage directly with communities of farmers who produce high-quality coffee. We trust someone who trusts someone—and trust flows through this network of relationships built on shared accountability. It isn’t abstract; it is operational and scalable.

Coffee is a colonial crop. The way it is traded today still reflects that history—who holds power, who captures value, and who absorbs risk.

At a systemic level, this approach is inherently anti-colonial. As a Dutch company working across multiple origins, we remain conscious of the legacy of colonial trade. Our aim is to work as equals—as entrepreneurs, collaborators, and  friends. When you know who you work with, external validation becomes less necessary. If poverty has been structured into the system, then dignity has to be structured into how we operate. This is why we stay.