I've spoken to so many growers in the past few years that are very dissatified with the "fairtrade" prices that they're getting for their beans that they've backed out.
With 50% of the fairtrade dollar going to administrative fees there's not too much laft for the little guy. My partners at Doi Chaang have solved that probllem with a true partnership. With just a bit of work I'm very sure that this trend will continue as long as the growers produce a high quality product year after year.
The Partnership
Doi Chaang Coffee is beyond fair trade. It is a partnership! In recognition of the equal value of their contributions, the Thai company and the Canadian entrepreneurs established a Canadian company, Doi Chaang Coffee (International) Corp, on an equal ownership basis. The Thailand group is the major beneficiary of this arrangement, as, in addition to their 100% ownership of their Thai based coffee company, they also own 50% of Doi Chaang Coffee (International) Corp. which will market up to 70% of the Thais annual coffee production in North America and Europe, through wholly owned subsidiaries under the name Doi Chaang Coffee Company. Current annual coffee production is approximately 300 tons and this is projected to increase to 4,000 tons per annum over the next five years, of which approximately 60% (2400 tons) of production will qualify as grade A beans and 5% (200 tons) will qualify as peaberry beans.
Only these superior beans will be sold under the name Doi Chaang Coffee, while the other 35% of production, comprised of various sized and broken beans, will be sold directly by the Thai company to international coffee buyers. Doi Chaang Coffee (international) Corp. is based in Vancouver, BC, where all financial and administrative operations are controlled, while the subsidiary, Doi Chaang Coffee Company, is based in Calgary which controls
the roasting, distribution, and marketing of the coffee.
This is about as good as it gets!
With 50% of the fairtrade dollar going to administrative fees there's not too much laft for the little guy. My partners at Doi Chaang have solved that probllem with a true partnership. With just a bit of work I'm very sure that this trend will continue as long as the growers produce a high quality product year after year.
The Partnership
Doi Chaang Coffee is beyond fair trade. It is a partnership! In recognition of the equal value of their contributions, the Thai company and the Canadian entrepreneurs established a Canadian company, Doi Chaang Coffee (International) Corp, on an equal ownership basis. The Thailand group is the major beneficiary of this arrangement, as, in addition to their 100% ownership of their Thai based coffee company, they also own 50% of Doi Chaang Coffee (International) Corp. which will market up to 70% of the Thais annual coffee production in North America and Europe, through wholly owned subsidiaries under the name Doi Chaang Coffee Company. Current annual coffee production is approximately 300 tons and this is projected to increase to 4,000 tons per annum over the next five years, of which approximately 60% (2400 tons) of production will qualify as grade A beans and 5% (200 tons) will qualify as peaberry beans.
Only these superior beans will be sold under the name Doi Chaang Coffee, while the other 35% of production, comprised of various sized and broken beans, will be sold directly by the Thai company to international coffee buyers. Doi Chaang Coffee (international) Corp. is based in Vancouver, BC, where all financial and administrative operations are controlled, while the subsidiary, Doi Chaang Coffee Company, is based in Calgary which controls
the roasting, distribution, and marketing of the coffee.
This is about as good as it gets!