2022 Accountability Report

2022 ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT

4.19.23

This accountability report serves as a benchmark for improvement and to educate staff, wholesale clients, and guests.

Commonplace Coffee began publishing an annual accountability report in 2020. This practice helps us to pursue our mission and values, learn from past decisions, and plan for the future as we work to source coffee equitably.

The price of coffee has been on a downward trajectory since this time last year. While lower prices can initially seem like a positive for consumers and coffee companies, this perpetuates a cycle of undervaluing coffee and its producers.

As a small coffee roaster, our impact on the coffee industry as a whole may be slight, but our buying decisions can significantly impact the farms and logistical partners we work with. Commonplace Coffee strives to make responsible buying decisions and build sustainability by negotiating long-term, quality-based contracts.

Commonplace Coffee aims to source coffee in a way that supports our supply chain’s long-term sustainability, roast coffee in a way that honors the growers, and brew coffee in a way that provides the best guest experience.

PRICE COMPARISON CHART

Chart Explained

Commonplace Coffee: The monthly average per pound FOB price paid for green coffee.

C Market: The monthly average of coffee prices traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 2022. To simplify the complexity of commodity trading, the price is independent of quality and based on supply, demand, and speculation. The C Market significantly affects farmers, who typically sell their coffee at the current C Market rate.

Fair Trade Minimum: For certified organizations and farmers, the Fair Trade Minimum is $1.40/pound. When the C Market rate is at or over $1.40/pound, which it was for all of 2022, the Fair Trade Minimum is equal to or less than the commodity price of coffee.

COFFEE PROGRAM SNAPSHOT

When selecting coffee for our lineup, we focus on quality, seasonality, and origin variety.

We work to build long term relationships by purchasing from smallholder community groups, often increasing the amount we purchase year over year as we grow.

We balance this by saving a few spots in our lineup for new producers doing amazing things in the specialty coffee industry.

CHARITABLE GIVING BLENDS

Commonplace Coffee seeks to foster community by supporting regional and national charities through the sale of collaborative donation coffees. Our goal is to always have a donation blend in our lineup.

FEEDBACK & 2023 GOALS

Input and suggestions from staff and guests will always shape buying decisions, and we hope to further strengthen that dialogue in 2023.

Here are our 2023 coffee program goals:

Streamline communication of new coffees and changes to the lineup.
Use blends less frequently for batch brew and espresso at the cafes.
Offer more African coffees that are not from Ethiopia.

PEOPLE

Who We Are: Demographics

Who We Are: Tenure

FINAL THOUGHTS

The coffee portion of this report was compiled by Head Roaster Vikki Harris to provide an overview of our 2022 coffee buying practices. Our purpose in sharing it is twofold: to educate our staff, wholesale clients, and guests; and to act as a public benchmark for transparency and improvement.

By publishing this report, we hope to offer a deeper understanding of the specialty coffee industry and our role within it. We also want you to better understand your purchasing power and make informed decisions when you choose to drink a cup of Commonplace Coffee.

Solid Ground For All.