Metric Coffee Reinventing Fairness Across Farm-to-Cup Process
In the heart of Chicago's Avondale neighborhood, Metric Coffee is making waves in the specialty coffee industry. Founded in 2013 without outside investors, Metric Coffee has been committed to direct trade, traceability, and producer equity since day one.
Metric Coffee's mission is to educate consumers on the endless flavor possibilities in coffee and the transformative power of a fair price to coffee producers. To achieve this, they have implemented a practice-based transparency and fairness system.
At the core of their approach is radical transparency. Metric publishes detailed supply chain pricing reports, providing customers and partners with a clear understanding of how much producers receive at each stage. This level of transparency is crucial in an industry where producers are often the most disenfranchised actors, facing significant risks.
Metric Coffee's direct trade relationships extend beyond the usual intermediaries. They personally visit farms and engage with producers and even coffee pickers to discuss the real costs involved in cultivating and harvesting coffee. This direct interaction builds trust and understanding, ensuring fair compensation for the hardworking individuals who make each cup possible.
Metric intentionally pays producers above the market price, emphasizing price equity. This approach ensures that small coffee farmers receive fair and improved compensation for their work, supporting economic sustainability in their communities.
Their café, "Milli by Metric," serves not just as a retail space but also as a pedagogical space where ethical supply chain stories, quality, and producer perspectives are shared with consumers, promoting conscious consumption grounded in transparency.
Metric Coffee's B Corp certification solidifies its public accountability and serves as an external validation of its long-standing values. This status validates that the work they do is good and fair, providing new goals and benchmarks for better business practices.
The coffee industry is at a crossroads, facing rising production costs, climate instability, and market volatility while consumers demand quality and traceability. Metric Coffee's model is a beacon of hope, demonstrating that it is possible to create an ethically grounded coffee supply chain that values transparency and prioritizes the welfare of small producers in a direct and verifiable manner.
With the expansion of Metric Coffee to include a restaurant, Milli by Metric, the company aims to attract good people, provide them with an inspiring environment, and wages that allow them to benefit from the mission of equity from seed to cup. By honoring the people and labor behind each cup, Metric Coffee is setting a new standard for fairness and transparency in the coffee industry.
References:
[1] Metric Coffee. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved from https://metriccoffee.com/pages/about-us
[2] Transparency in the Coffee Supply Chain: Blockchain and Beyond. (2020, November 3). Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2020/11/03/transparency-in-the-coffee-supply-chain-blockchain-and-beyond/?sh=1d7d649c6373
[3] The Rise of Blockchain in the Coffee Industry. (2021, February 18). Retrieved from https://www.roastmagazine.com/features/2021/2/18/the-rise-of-blockchain-in-the-coffee-industry
Metric Coffee's expansion to a restaurant, Milli by Metic, highlights their commitment to fair wages and creating an inspiring environment for their employees, reflecting their mission of equity from 'seed to cup'. This restaurant serves as a platform to strengthen their ethics-driven supply chain by promoting transparency in the food-and-drink industry, aligning with their business model.
By paying producers above the market price and implementing radical transparency practices, Metric Coffee demonstrates a leadership role in finance, using their revenue to invest in the welfare of small coffee farmers in the specialty coffee industry. This approach, verified by their B Corp certification, sets a new standard for ethical business practices.
