Increasing market access for small-scale farmers

A new year brings opportunities to embrace new business practices and potentially revolutionize your organization. That is exactly what over 600 Fairtrade coffee farmers will do in 2022, by enrolling in the Fairtrade Coffee School.

From improving their value proposition to digitization.

Starting in January 2022 and running until October, the Fairtrade Coffee School will be a learning ground and meeting point for small-scale farmers all across the world. Whether they are in Colombia, Ethiopia or Vietnam.

“Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and volatile price market, digital coffee education is key for building the capacity of smallholders. Through the Fairtrade Coffee School, we hope to provide producer organizations with the tools they need to sell more coffee at better prices and on fairer terms.”  says Alison Streacker, Fairtrade Global Coffee Manager

Kick-starting in East Africa, all Fairtrade certified coffee organizations can nominate up to two participants to take part in the online, interactive school. Courses will be delivered in four languages, including English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.

The program is divided into two courses:

• The first course is focused on the fundamentals of green coffee trading. This includes how to develop a sound sales strategy, and even support in establishing policies to mitigate risks against price volatility, among other topics.
• The second course makes an emphasis on having solid digital market access and how to get there. Whether it is by designing a client engagement strategy, a unique value proposition, or building channels that can increase your reach towards potential customers.

In collaboration with experts

The courses are being delivered with the expertise of VUNA Origin Consulting, who both design the courses and provide a sleek platform to make sure the learning experience of producers is on par.

Vuna Origin Consulting is a boutique coffee consulting firm based in the Netherlands. Founded by Sara Morrocchi in 2015, Vuna’s mission is to make the coffee trade equitable and sustainable for small holder producer organizations.

“The coffee market is incredibly dynamic and competitive. It is becoming increasingly difficult for producer organizations to scale their business and reach new markets. The Fairtrade Coffee School is an exciting initiative to equip producer organizations with the expertise to thrive in today’s markets.  With all Fairtrade coffee producing regions participating, this global digital training platform will break down language barriers to increase expertise accessibility.” says Sara Morrocchi

Through its Cherry to Heart Model™, Vuna operates a fully integrated supply chain model across the entire coffee journey, from green coffee production to digitalization.

Next steps

Stay-tuned to learn more about the students who will take part in the school. We are curiously looking forward to see the journey ahead for those who will participate.