The public offices of the Municipalities of Leidschendam-Voorburg, Rijswijk and Pijnacker-Nootdorp have taken a sustainable route for their coffee consumption through this tender. Through their supply done by Selecta Netherlands, it has been possible to provide high quality coffee experience for the everyday consumption of their employees. Their intent to support direct trade, fully traceable and sustainably produced coffees became a reality via the collaboration with This Side Up, Selecta Netherlands and Zwart’s coffee. The team specially curated a blend to suit the interests and expectations of the joint municipalities without compromising on the quality.

The coffee blend has been curated to have coffees from specific countries for flavor balance. All the coffees scored above 80 (of a maximum of 100) points, making them specialty coffee, which means they have been processed to achieve the highest quality. The coffees from South America (Brazil and Peru) provide chocolatiness, fruitiness and are balanced and enhanced by the body and acidic flavors offered by the Central African (Congolese) washed coffees. The contract allows the whole value chain to work in close cooperation to create a stronger and sustainable future, year after year.

GENERAL goalS

1.  To bring specialty coffee to the mainstream market by the simple dynamic of paying higher prices for better quality coffee, and organizing a value chain that divides the money fairly.

2. To offer a steady income to farmers in vulnerable regions in the world for the duration of the contract, which leads to a “peace of mind” for farming families, now being able to think further than the day-to-day survival.

3. To make more people enthusiastic about sustainability, by showing the faces and stories of those who grow and produce the coffees that the municipalities drink.

4. To help small roasters to break into an industry of large companies: through this partnership, we collaborate with a small specialty coffee roaster, allowing them to break into a bigger market of government tenders. 

GOALS FOR LEIDSCHENDAM -VOORBURG MUNICIPALITY

1. To buy fully traceable coffees, this allows the municipality to work directly with farmers at origins. By staying committed to the recurring coffee contracts and same partners year after year, they can create economic impact and improve farmer livelihoods.

2. To create a blend that benefits the farmers and guarantees quality, a classic request in the specialty coffee market customers are often limited by their spending potential. This Side Up made sure the farmers remain the primary beneficiaries by choosing specific origins that have the capacity to meet the demands and fit into this request made by the municipalities.

kilograms bought per origin

since the start of the contract on 1st of May 2021,
until 31st December 2023

Brazil

4790 kilograms of green coffee; 83 bags

peru

6825 kilograms of green coffee; 99 bags

congo

3300 kilograms of green coffee; 55 bags

12585

kilograms of roasted coffee

14915

kilograms of unroasted (green) coffee

237

bags of coffee (bag size varies per origin)

$78.577,58

paid to farmers

We paid more for coffee than we were asked to. This was a result of direct conversations with the farming communities. We are on the path towards working with each of the farmer groups to start getting them to document their cost of production per harvest so we can really say that we paid enough, cover the cost of production and paid extra so that these entrepreneurs can thrive, and not just barely survive.

More money was paid with no strings attached. Money that comes in is managed locally, to fit their demands the best, destined to support the cooperative, or group, in what is needed or urgent. This can be through the different projects they develop (ecological or social) or in becoming financially stronger and offering more opportunities to farmers in the region. Through recurring contracts at this price range, the municipalities contributes positively to farmer groups throughout this time period.

$23.114,79

more than the FairTrade minimum

FairTrade price level was $3,53 per kg for arabica from 2011 to 2023, This Side Up paid an average of $4,05 per kg in Brazil, $6,00 per kg in DR Congo and $3,40/kg in Peru for the FOB price, which stands for “Free on Board”. This is the international price standard to compare coffee prices.

The minimum price set by FairTrade for coffee is generally considered as a decent remuneration for the produce by the industry. It is fairly top down and not based on the farmer’s (local) cost of production. It is generalized as a world standard. TSU takes a much more personalized approach. Since This Side Up has direct farmer contact, the prices are updated annually in cooperation with farmers to match the reality of the said harvest year.

$24.367,49

more than the commodity price

The municipalities paid almost 69% more than the average Coffee Commodity price (C-price) by buying their coffee through this partnership. The commodity price is used for any general coffee, that has no FairTrade or other label, and is just sold as “coffee” on the world market. It is the coffee that is used for 90% of the world trade, and thus in most tenders, offices, hospitals and supermarkets.

The average C-price for Arabica and Robusta vary significantly. The C-price of 2022 was a very rare situation. The cause was a high international demand for coffee, which was good news for most farmers, though the gap to a “good price” that covers basic costs of production or living, were still not met. It’s amazing to realize what this general international price is in “bad years” if the good years don’t even do the job.

Since This Side Up works with producers and fixes the price at the beginning of every year taking into account the different variables, it is much more thorough than the London or the New York exchange.

peru

circular Business and ecological agricultural practices

partner: Churupampa
280 coffee farming families
99 bags consumed by
the municipalities
Up to 46 % of blend

Fazenda california , brazil

The coffees for this blend come from Fazenda California, a centenarian farm in Brazil. They have been working together with This Side Up from 2016 to bring the best lots to Europe. Luiz and his wife Flavia run Fazenda California together. Fazenda California has been striving to consistently produce high quality sustainable specialty coffee from 2007 in the state of Paraná. It was in fact the first one in this region to win the Cup of Excellence (2010, 2015) showing off it’s highest quality yet that has never stopped them from seeking to improve their production and process consistently. They have also set up a on site laboratory in 2021 to conduct research on influence of microbial behavior and it is impact on the soil. All this to help the farmers in that region find right ways to develop a regenerative agricultural model and find the  balance between coffee, nature and it’s people. They diversify their agricultural portfolio with soy other than coffee. Their interest, expertise in agronomy, farming and their relentless innovation mindset helps them produce some of the best coffees in the world. Fazenda California has managed to create two competition lots (used to win Barista Championships) called Honeymoon and Tropical storm that are rich, complex, full of flavors and highest quality. Luiz exports his coffees through Capricornio Coffees, an exporter that works closely with farmers in Brazil by offering them agronomical support to help them develop the best quality every season. This creates the upward cycle of better quality which influences the market to pay better prices and foster quality investments back on the farm. Their “Four Seasons” program offers technical assistance which also includes fostering behavioral changes of the farmers. It is a first step to help farmers move from producing commodity to specialty coffee. This program supports the farmers during harvesting and post harvesting activities, but as the name says: it supports during all the four seasons. The public offices of the Municipalities of Leidschendam-Voorburg, Rijswijk and Pijnacker-Nootdorp use up to 32% of Fazenda California and has a unique opportunity of consuming coffees which are work of sweat and science!

CPNCK, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Coffee has been used as a catalyst to foster peace at the island of Idjwi in the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. From 2014, CPNCK has been operating out of this island that welcomes ex-combatants and refugees, and offering them a viable economic alternative. By distributing saplings, training them on the know-hows to improve their quality, the goal was to give them ownership through the decentralized microstation model, and together, exporting the coffees to coffee drinkers around the world. The goal is simple: providing a financial alternative to fighting a war.

The persistent efforts of coops president Gilbert Makalele of CPNCK has helped them achieve several important milestones over the years including building their own dry mill, installing gravity sorters, fermentation tanks, expanding their sun/shade drying infrastructure. In 2023, CPNCK for the first time exported a lot produced and processed fully by women! Through a recurring contract provided by the municipalities, farmers have a predictable demand and the recurring nature of the contract serves as an incentive for them to keep producing quality coffee and earning a livelihood. Several improvements have been possible because of coffee production and the income from it: better housing facilities, more children enrolled in schools, and being able to afford health care.

CPNCK’s ambitions include becoming one of the largest cooperatives in Democratic Republic of Congo and strive to create autonomy for coffee producers through innovation. They want to create diversified sources of income, rejuvenate old coffee trees, invest in marketing and construction of better community infrastructure such as schools, health care facilities. Other than the excellent coffee, thanks to this contract, we can now bring such stories to light. Congolese coffees are not often well known in the specialty coffee market in Europe, through such collaborations, it is possible to bring these coffees into the limelight.