More Hasbean...
This is a list of "some" of the others sites/projects we have at Has Bean we like to call the "Has Bean Empire" please take a look give us some feedback on the other things we do.
This is a list of "some" of the others sites/projects we have at Has Bean we like to call the "Has Bean Empire" please take a look give us some feedback on the other things we do.
This is a list of "some" of the others sites/projects we have at Has Bean we like to call the "Has Bean Empire" please take a look give us some feedback on the other things we do.
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Trading Ethically
Has Bean made a distinct statement in 2002 that we had decided not to stock fair trade branded coffee. This does not mean that we oppose ethically sourced coffee. Quite the opposite in fact, we have an ethical trade policy of our own.
To find out more about our fair trade stance take a look at the article entitled 'Fair trade for who? A counter view to the fair trade debate' which can be found in the 'Articles' section.
First of all, we are going to try not to bore you here. Ethical statements can be very long-winded and pointless. We want you to be able to read about how we trade and say, "Okay, I can see what these guys are about".
Our Statement
Specialty coffee is not a commodity
It is traded as such, but at Has Bean we don't treat it that way. We love coffee and it is our mission to bring you some of the best and most unusual coffees from around the world. We want to do this because we appreciate the finest coffees as much as you do.
Good quality coffee for a good price
We don't want to patronise farmers with charity. We won't pay an inflated price for bad coffee so we can ease our conscience or yours. What we will do is pay a higher price for great coffee. This way everyone wins. The farmer has pride in his work and the motivation to produce better crops year on year. We win as we get great coffee to sell to you, and ultimately you, the consumer, wins as you pay a fair premium for quality coffee. Isn't this the way it's meant to be? We have spoken with farmers and people at the specialty coffee associations from coffee producing countries and they don't want charity. They are proud people who simply want fair recognition of their hard work.
Traceability
Once we have found an excellent coffee we want know who grows it. We seek as much information about the coffee you drink as we possibly can, and we want to share it with you. It is our aim to source almost our entire range from farmers or co-operatives where we know the about the region of origin, what the growers are trying to achieve and how their work benefits the local community. This is hard work, as in the past the coffee industry has always perpetuated the mystery of certain origins. Nevertheless, by working closely with our import farmers, we are able to address this and create change.
Sustainability
Without sustainability we wouldn't have a very long term business plan! We are encouraged by a statement made by our import partners:
Pay workers more = find better workers.
Let wildlife and birds thrive on the farm = less reliance on insecticides.
Use organic composting = less need for chemical fertilisers.
Provide for your workers = retain a skilled work force.
Visiting Origin
We have and will continue to visit growing countries in order to get a better understanding of what is happening at ground level, and to meet with farmers and coffee associations. This is a great way of building relationships and communication links.
Education
We endeavour to inform you, the consumer, about important issues. As a member or the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe and the Cup of Excellence program we want to share with you all of the information we can get. Has Bean is not just a web site aiming to sell coffee, it is a conscientious and ethical company, passionate about coffee, that is trying to inform and encourage at all levels.
Cup of Excellence
In this article, I will attempt to tell you what the Cup of Excellence program is and why it should matter to you. I will also explain why it is so important to me and to everyone at Has Bean Coffee.
Cup of Excellence involves a stringent coffee selection process and competition. It is currently (at the time of writing in June 2009) held in eight South American countries and one from Africa. The aim of the competition is to find true coffee excellence, and identify the best coffee from each country every harvest. This is achieved by initially utilising a team of people involved with coffee in the producing country to select the best of the entered samples for that nation. The entry can range from three hundred to over nine hundred coffees. These are 'cupped' (the flavours and aromas imbibed) on taste quality and only the best will pass through this selection process.
Around sixty samples survive the initial selection stage and are put forward to an international jury for consideration. The jury is selected from all around the globe, and it invariably contains some of the most influential coffee buyers in the world. Inclusion is not related to business size or standing, but to the quality of the coffee associated with the individual concerned and his or her cupping skills.
The jurors 'blind cup' (without any information about the samples) all of the chosen coffees once. During cupping the samples are evaluated by the jurors and the resulting scores are compiled by an external auditor in to demonstrate transparency and fairness. All coffees that score over 84 (the highest potential mark being 100) proceed to the second stage of cupping.
The number of coffees that make it to the second stage varies but is typically between 20 and 45. The successful coffees are cupped and scored again. Any not achieving a score of over 84 go into an internet auction, those achieving the prerequisite mark enter the final auction. The top ten from the second round are then cupped again to determine their place in the final auction.
Any coffees that go to the final auction can be truely called a Cup of Excellence. The odds of any coffee entered into the Cup of Excellence program making it to the auction is just 2-3%, so you can be sure that a Cup of Excellence coffee is something special and one of the finest coffees available. If at any point in the competition there is any defect found in a crop, it is immediately rejected. This can even happen at the top ten stage, where a coffee apparently destined to win can be rejected (and this has been the case) because it is found not to be perfect.
When a coffee makes the final auction, it means that the farmer will be rewarded financially. The price paid at the auction is many times higher than any other avenue of sale that the farmer has access to. In the Brazil 2005 auction, one coffee went for US$49.75 a lb FOB which is nearly 40 times the highest price that a farmer can expect from fair trade. Prices such as these are paid solely because the beans concerned are of the highest quality, not because of some misconceived and unsustainable idea of charity.
The only sustainable way of providing a real 'fair' price to the farmer, whilst ensuring that the consumer receives quality and value for money, is to enable the grower to help himself by facilitating the means by which he can improve his standard of living. A farmer receiving a typical fair trade rate for his beans may be assured of survival, but the question has to be will it ever allow him to grow and prosper? There is no motive in improving quality when the price paid will never improve.
So, when the Cup of Excellence label is seen, it means precisely what it implies, the coffee will be one of the best of the best for that year from that country. Crucially, the Cup of Excellence program also serves as a tool to reward the hard work of the farmer by paying a much higher price for quality coffee.
the hard work of the farmer by paying a much higher price for quality coffee.
In My Mug is a weekly show about our coffee, Steve tastes our coffees in all types of places using a variety of brewing methods. You can taste the coffee with Steve by signing up for the weekly In My Mug coffee subscription. What could be better than a new coffee through your letterbox every week?
