DIRECT TRADE

One of our most important core values is our commitment to sourcing our coffees only through direct trade.

Our approach is simple: instead of buying our coffees through a middleman, we purchase them through direct contact with farmers at the cooperative level, which we believe is as important for the farmers and their communities as it is for us to build the best cup of coffee that we can. By acquiring our beans in this manner, we not only ensure that a fair, sustainable price is paid to the farmers, but can ensure transparency at every step of the supply chain, and can help affect real change in rural farming communities.

As a company founded in Rwanda, we have the unique opportunity to maintain close ties with farming communities in our home country, and bring our beans throughout the world and into your neighborhoods. For many Rwandan coffee farmers, visiting a Bourbon Coffee café in Kigali is their first chance to ever see the finished product of their work in a professional business setting. It is our hope that this sense of accomplishment and commitment to partnership and growth is apparent in your visit to Bourbon Coffee, and that you will continue to engage in our mission of collaboration.

THE SPECIFICS: BOURBON COFFEE + DIRECT TRADE

• We work with farmers trained in growing methods for specialty coffee, and ensure commitment to cooperation and sustainability for themselves and their communities.
• We only purchase specialty 100% Arabica Bourbon coffee that meets our requirements for cupping scores and cup quality.
• Fair Pay: Bourbon Coffee ensures that farmers, not simply the exporters, are paid a fair price. On average, Direct Trade enables farmers to receive 25% more than the Fair Trade price for their crop.
• Accountability: Transparency across the supply chain is very important to us. Everyone involved in the process of growing, washing, transporting, and roasting our coffee must be committed to fair practices.