PEOPLE
Beyond Harvest
We are always present, we provide year-round support and feedback to coffee communities
mEXICO
520 ·
31 ·
4
GUATEMALA
144 ·
27 ·
4
13 ·
2
NICARAGUA
90 ·
15 ·
2
EL SALVADOR
106 ·
62 ·
31
COLOMBIA
1,912 ·
21 ·
5
ECUADOR
93 ·
7 ·
4
PERU
594 ·
MEXICO
450 · 24 · 5
FARM SIZE DISTRIBUTION
Producers
Communities
Quality Centers and
Buying Stations
3200
0
0
mEXICO
520 ·
31 ·
4
GUATEMALA
144 ·
27 ·
4
13 ·
2
NICARAGUA
90 ·
15 ·
2
EL SALVADOR
106 ·
62 ·
31
COLOMBIA
1,912 ·
21 ·
5
ECUADOR
93 ·
7 ·
4
PERU
594 ·
Number of Producers
Number of Communities
Number of Quality Centers and Buying Stations
Our commitment to supporting a diverse group of coffee producers is showcased through our direct relationships model. Understanding the demographics of the coffee communities we work with is vital to how we tailor our support to meet the unique needs they have. This approach helps us address specific challenges and opportunities within each community, leading to a more resilient supply chain. This personalized approach, based on trust and synergy, not only improves transparency but also enhances the lives of our producers and their communities.
More than 40% of our producer partners are 50 years or older, with only 11% under 30 years old. This aging put at risk the extinction of vital know-how. At Caravela we are making it imperative to engage and support younger generations in coffee production.
Diverse Origins: Communities Beyond Coffee Profiles
PRODUCER PARTNERS DEMOGRAPHIC
Total Producers that sold Coffee to Caravela
3000
PRODUCER PARTNERS DEMOGRAPHIC
PRODUCER PARTNERS DEMOGRAPHIC
23%
11%
42%
PECA's dedicated team visits producers directly at their farms, providing hands-on support
cost of LIVING
Other Costs
Essential Necessities
Housing
Food
21%
35%
11%
33%
For over 23 years, we've fostered direct relationships with smallholder coffee producers and observed their increasing vulnerability to market, social, and environmental shocks. Despite industry-wide efforts, such as ours at Caravela, to support these producers, we now fear that the essential knowledge of coffee production within these communities is at risk of vanishing. This invaluable intellectual property, honed over generations to differentiate farms based on unique terroir and coffee variety complexity.
The Prosperity Compass is transparent framework to assess Environmental, Social and Governance challenges at the farm level. It is build from surveys done to producers and used to guide responsible decision-making and actions in our supply chain.
The Prosperity Compass allows the development of a fair pricing model that considers the real costs of coffee farms and could ensure producers and their families can thrive, not just survive.
Exploring The Real Costs of Coffee Farms
By understanding the total farm costs of coffee producing communities, we aim to foster more equitable and prosperous supply chains. Therfore, addressing the distribution of the total farm costs for our smallholder producer partners is essential for creating fair buying practices and quality technical assistance. We use a farm-to-farm approach to gauge the economic realities faced by coffee producers within our supply chain. These insights allow us to set a fair price model that considers not just production costs but also targets a decent standard of living for the household. Our commitment to fair pricing intends to ensure that producers are not just surviving but thriving. These insights allow us to raise awareness across stakeholders and develop impactful relationships that improve living standards, so coffee producers can continue to produce high-quality coffee without a constant compromise of their wellbeing and the financial stability of their families.
*Caravela's Prosperity Compass Data
TOTAL FARM COSTS (%)
COSTS OF LIVING BREAKDOWN (%)
COST OF PRODUCTION BREAKDOWN (%)
The Prosperity Compass is transparent framework to assess Environmental, Social and Governance challenges at the farm level. It is build from surveys done to producers and used to guide responsible decision-making and actions in our supply chain.
Exploring The Real Costs of Coffee Farms
By understanding the total farm costs of coffee producing communities, we aim to foster more equitable and prosperous supply chains. Therfore, addressing the distribution of the total farm costs for our smallholder producer partners is essential for creating fair buying practices and quality technical assistance. We use a farm-to-farm approach to gauge the economic realities faced by coffee producers within our supply chain. These insights allow us to set a fair price model that considers not just production costs but also targets a decent standard of living for the household. Our commitment to fair pricing intends to ensure that producers are not just surviving but thriving. These insights allow us to raise awareness across stakeholders and develop impactful relationships that improve living standards, so coffee producers can continue to produce high-quality coffee without a constant compromise of their wellbeing and the financial stability of their families.
*Caravela's Prosperity Compass Data (315 producers)
TOTAL FARM COSTS (%)
The Prosperity Compass allows the development of a fair pricing model that considers the real costs of coffee farms and could ensure producers and their families can thrive, not just survive.
COSTS OF LIVING BREAKDOWN (%)
COST OF PRODUCTION BREAKDOWN (%)
PECA Team
41
farm visits
Farm Field Schools (FFS), Aulas PECA, Other feedback
PRODUCER GROUP TRAINING
The Coffee Farmer Education Program (PECA) is the core of the Prosperity Compass framework and our daily connection with coffee communities. PECA enhances the economic and environmental development of coffee farms through training, technical advice, access to information, and promoting responsible agricultural practices. By focusing on improving quality, productivity, and reducing production costs, PECA advances coffee farms as prosperous businesses. A key role of PECA is to facilitate long-term relationships between coffee producers and roasters, enhancing communication and collaboration for mutual benefit. The program meticulously collects data to assess environmental, social, and economic performance, tailoring farm improvement plans and inspiring impactful decisions among stakeholders. By partnering with farmers who share Caravela's values, PECA ensures a reliable and responsible coffee supply chain.
PECA is key in developing direct long-term relationships between producers and roasters based on trust and continuous improvement.
Our Boots on the Ground: Improving Coffee Production with PECA
Total Farm Visits
Total Producer Group Training
5000
380
Farm Management, Productiviy & Quality (%) |
Certifications and Prosperity Compass (%)
Responsible Production Practices (%)
Farm Management, Productiviy & Quality (%) |
Certifications and Prosperity Compass (%)
Responsible Production Practices (%)
The People Behind Responsible Sourcing
Responsible sourcing requires a crew constantly developing unique systems that ensure highest levels of transparency and traceability.
Our team is the backbone of our operations, comprising individuals from diverse backgrounds and communities. Our collective expertise goes above and beyond trading coffee; our crew’s diversity can develop systems unique to our industry. These systems ensure unmatched levels of transparency, traceability, quality assurance, risk management and both, producers and roasters support. By fostering a diverse workforce, we enhance creativity, innovation, and overall performance, securing responsible sourcing for every bean in our supply chain and ensuring that our business model is impactful and effective for everyone involved.
BY COUNTRY
Employees
100
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES BY AREA
41%
34%
Management
Non-Management
FEMALE EMPLOYEES
Half of our crew at origin is employed from the coffee communities we have relationships with.
The People Behind Responsible Sourcing
Responsible sourcing requires a crew constantly developing unique systems that ensure highest levels of transparency and traceability.
Half of our crew at origin is employed from the coffee communities we have relationships with.
Our team is the backbone of our operations, comprising individuals from diverse backgrounds and communities. Our collective expertise goes above and beyond trading coffee; our crew’s diversity can develop systems unique to our industry. These systems ensure unmatched levels of transparency, traceability, quality assurance, risk management and both, producers and roasters support. By fostering a diverse workforce, we enhance creativity, innovation, and overall performance, securing responsible sourcing for every bean in our supply chain and ensuring that our business model is impactful and effective for everyone involved.
BY COUNTRY
Employees
100
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES BY AREA
41%
34%
Management
Non-Management
FEMALE EMPLOYEES
Better Workplace, Better Coffee
We work tiresly to keep developing a fair and safe place to work that ensures our employees are valued, motivated, and proud to be part of the Caravela Crew.
91%
of employees consider Caravela a Great Place to Work
operations certified at origin
COLOMBIA
ECUADOR
guatemala
Mexico
nicaragua
peru
*215 Employees (84%) answered the survey
Greatest Place to Work Trust Model ® Dimensons
84%
81%
81%
86%
88%
Credibility
Respect
Equanimity
Partnership
Pride
Building Strong and
Long-Lasting Connections
Forward contracts enhance certainty, efficiency, and planning for producers and roasters, ensuring coffee communities benefit from fair trade. This approach prevents speculating with the impact on producers, creating a more responsible and resilient supply chain.
Strong, long-term relationships with roaster clients are crucial for stability and growth in the coffee supply chain. Forward contracts enhance certainty, efficiency, and planning for all stakeholders. For roasters, these contracts guarantee a reliable supply of high-quality coffee at agreed-upon prices, enabling better inventory and pricing strategies. This predictability ensures they can meet customer complex demands consistently. For producers, forward contracts provide financial stability by guaranteeing sales and prices ahead of time. This allows them to invest in their farms, improve practices, and plan for the future without fearing market fluctuations. The result is a more efficient and coordinated supply chain, where both roasters and producers benefit from enhanced certainty. Eliminating market speculation creates a more responsible, resilient supply chain that supports coffee producing communities.
Number of Roasters 2023
Forward Contracting
270
78%
"
We really enjoy how Caravela advocates for us to the producer and advocates for the producer to us. We have seen this happen on so many different occasions over the years, but specifically with our longest standing relationship with the Guarnizo family in Huila, Colombia. Caravela always understands what we’re looking for, so whenever we have the opportunity to do more business together, either through growth or new product development, we know that we will be able to do business very efficiently and intentionally. We lean into Caravela’s annual reporting as an educational tool, to better understand our role as buyers of coffees from Latin America, and to better understand the coffee landscape year over year."
Amaris Gutierrez-Ray,
VP of Coffee at Joe Coffee
"
I really appreciate the team's willingness to adapt to my working style, a sign of great customer service. I'm a green buyer who likes to have data and understand the workflow and process as much as I can so that I can be the best partner possible, though not every green buyer wants that level of engagement. Across the organisation, the Caravela team has been receptive, patient, and thoughtful about meeting my needs in terms of information gathering and more in-depth explanation. Honestly, Caravela is already my strongest partner in this area and my model for how we are approaching these items for community blends, the core of our purchasing. They are the tip of the spear when it comes to data collection and visualisation."
Jamie Isetts,
Green Buyer, Square Mile Coffee
"
Being able to work closely with the Australian Caravela team to find producers who are able to produce the coffees and flavour profiles we need. Then, once partnerships are formed, working together to forecast volumes, maintain flavour profiles, and offer feedback, which we then see actioned in the next harvest. Also the problem solving approach and transparent manner when navigating a volatile coffee market to make sure both Marvell Street and the producers we purchase from are mutually benefiting. When Caravela approached us with the idea of longer term commitments to our main producer groups we were immediately onboard. We view this as the most sustainable way to purchase coffee, by committing to select producers who we trust will deliver an exceptional product. Without Caravela facilitating this sort of arrangement we doubt we could make the impact we hoped to."
Fergus Woolveridge,
Co-Founder at Marvell Street Coffee
"
"Caravela has been there for us through thick and thin (we all know there has been a bit of that in the last few years) and have provided a consistent high-quality product in the 10+ years we've been together and also the flexibility required when needed. Caravela sets the standard for sustainability in coffee on a global level and so the level of reporting, insights, innovation and initiative we gain from working with Caravela is inspirational. By continuing this and being our constant eyes and ears on the ground, we can consistently work together towards common goals."
Lloyd Thom,
Green Bean Buyer at Campos Coffee
The Value of Responsible Sourcing
Impact Menu: Choose your Impact
Join the Movement and engage in initiatives that build stronger relationships, promote responsible production and create lasting impact at origin.
Our Impact Menu features a range of modular projects executed by PECA, addressing gaps in key areas such as environmental protection, community support, and responsible farm management. The Impact Menu inspires our roaster partners to engage in meaningful initiatives that strengthen relationships with coffee communities. Each initiative is designed to create tangible, positive outcomes for coffee producers and their communities. Our Impact Menu is more than a collection of projects; it’s a call to action. We invite our partners to join us in making a difference, one initiative at a time. Together, we can create a lasting impact that extends beyond the beans.
Producer Beneficiaries
initiative beneficiaries
Drying
Beds
58
44
45
20
Wastewater Treatment Plants
Shading
Farms
Internet
Connectivity
16
Drinking Water Access
100
Origins
nicaragua
peru
Total Partners Support
Total Support Caravela
$50.558
$11.426
guatemala
Mexico
Learning
Platform
20
Economic
Support
16
Farm Inputs and Resources
118
Soil
Analysis
93
COLOMBIA
ECUADOR
Impact Menu: Choose your Impact
100
Join the Movement and engage in initiatives that build stronger relationships, promote responsible production and create lasting impact at origin.
Our Impact Menu features a range of modular projects executed by PECA, addressing gaps in key areas such as environmental protection, community support, and responsible farm management. The Impact Menu inspires our roaster partners to engage in meaningful initiatives that strengthen relationships with coffee communities. Each initiative is designed to create tangible, positive outcomes for coffee producers and their communities. Our Impact Menu is more than a collection of projects; it’s a call to action. We invite our partners to join us in making a difference, one initiative at a time. Together, we can create a lasting impact that extends beyond the beans.
Producer Beneficiaries
Total Partners Support
Total Support Caravela
$50.558
$11.426
ORIGINS
COLOMBIA
ECUADOR
guatemala
Mexico
nicaragua
peru
initiative
Drying
Beds
58
44
45
20
Wastewater Treatment Plants
Shading
Farms
Internet
Connectivity
16
Drinking Water Access
Learning
Platform
20
Economic
Support
16
Farm Inputs and Resources
118
Soil
Analysis
93
DO YOU WANT TO HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT AT ORIGIN?
Choose one of the initiatives of our Impact Menu or contact us to co-create a new project to impact coffee communities.