Coffee farmers or farming co-operatives are paid a gate price for their green beans. This is the money that they actually receive in their hands for the crop. The going rate for standard green coffee beans is $1-$1.20 per 1lb. FairTrade have set a value of $1.40 per 1lb. Sometimes this barely covers the cost of production and so coffee farmers are forced to grow other crops to supplement their income.

At Fireheart we will always pay AT LEAST 50% OVER FAIRTRADE FOR THE GATE PRICE. That means we can guarantee that all our coffee farmers and cooperatives get paid a gate price of AT LEAST $2.10 per 1lb.

This is the most important cost to check if you’re comparing coffee companies and their sourcing policies.

Next on the bean to cup journey there is an EXPORTER who will have to pay for the cost of transporting the coffee out of the country and add their margin

Then there is the IMPORTER who will have to pay for the cost of importing, storing and distributing the beans in the UK and add their margin too.

We work with three trusted importers who can trace the whole supply chain back to the farmer. As we buy some of the highest quality beans available, we pay some of the highest gate prices.

We do everything at a small scale and consider the impact of our actions at every stage. 

In our London roastery, we roast our seasonal beans on demand to minimise waste and maximize freshness. This includes the coffee we put into our pods too.

We work hard to make the most sustainable packaging choices we can. For example, we are incredibly proud of our 100% recyclable coffee pouches, which is still a rare find in the coffee world. 

We use cardboard from FSC sources and lightweight our packaging as much as possible to save on shipping costs and impact. As a start-up, we have fewer procurement choices open to us due to minimum order quantities, but we are continually aware of - and working towards - eco-upgrading where and when we can. 

We will always be transparent with you about this journey. Just ask for more details – we have plenty!

As a small team we can be flexible and people-focused, and we will continue this human-level approach to our work wherever our business takes us.

Coffee is built on relationships. We need to know that the farmers growing such great coffee for us are well looked after. It would leave a bad taste in the mouth if not. Same applies to our exporters, importers, UK partners, and crucially, every single one of our customers.

We want to create a network of positive energy from start to finish, which will in turn feed into the coffee cycle again. We want happy growers, happy roasters and happy customers… ones who come back again and again…and keep us at Fireheart firing up our roaster!