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Jungle Tech's Sustainable Model
Great Coffee Deserves a Great Price!
I. Social Sustainability: Trading Fairly
Grower's hard work and attention to detail is the key ingredient in producing specialty coffee. Thus, we feel that directly paying great prices for the great coffee they produce is a fair trade. This is done by cupping (taste testing) each farmer's lot to determine the value of the coffee, then returning the accurate financial return to the individual grower.
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K.C. evaluates a family's coffee in Cusco.
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K.C. sample roasting coffee.
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Steps in the Process
1. Growers harvest, pulp, ferment and dry the coffee in micro-batches of 1 to 10 bags (100 lbs. each) per week during the harvest season.
2. Each week we visit their village and buy coffee that is clean from any visual and aromatic defects in pergamino (coffee in the parchment). The coffee is purchased for 10% over the local market price, with the possibility for more return based on the quality evaluation.
3. When the coffee arrives at our regional warehouse, we pull a sample of each grower's lot (maximum 10 bags), roast and blind cup (taste test) each sample.
Coffee is separated into three categories:
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A.
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Direct Relationship Coffees (2002 harvest prices were between $0.63 and $0.95 per pound directly to the growers, while average local price was $0.25 per pound)
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B.
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Regional Quality Coffees
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C.
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Conventional Coffees
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4. Based on the cupping results, additional money is returned to the grower's to complete the qualified price.
5. Additional funds are invested back into the farms in the form of physical equipment improvements. For example: Solar dryers, moisture analyzers, pulper refurbishing, sample roasters, technical literature, and organic training.
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II. Environmental Sustainability
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This is an example of sungrown coffee, which Jungle Tech does not support.
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- All of our coffee is 100% shadegrown, which provides habitat for many native and migratory birds.
- All of our coffee is 100% sun dried, which reduces the ecological footprint. For instance, timber is not used for wood-fired dryers.
- Coffee cherry pulp is composted and reused as organic fertilizer.
- Coffee pulp and pulping waste enters pulp pits rather than directly entering the waterways, which can damage river eco-systems.
- We teach and promote organic disease and pest control, as well as organic fertilizing methods.
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For a detailed explanation for our sustainability position, please read Sustainability Defined.
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