If you are running a beverage business, then you need many resources for your operations. The most important resources would be coffee that you offer to your customers. When customers visit your outlet, they would expect something unique that makes you stand out from others. The best quality coffee can be the differentiator.
A Question that arises is where do you source the coffee from? You need to find reliable suppliers who can offer the best quality coffee. You need suppliers who follow sustainability in their practices. We tell you how to find such sustainable suppliers for your beverage business.
Why sustainability?
Sustainability is important for our world considering the situation we are in. Resources are being depleted, and it is our duty towards future generations to prevent over-exploitation of resources. By focusing on sustainability, we can protect and preserve natural resources for the future. It also helps us protect the ecosystem we live in, and improve the quality of our lives.
The growing of coffee is known to have an impact on the environment. Coffee, being an evergreen shrub, helps to stabilise the soil and preserves bio-diversity. However, wet processing has an impact on water pollution. This is an issue to be kept in mind. Growing coffee has a positive impact on society, since it provides employment to people. It is important to ensure sustainable practices are followed by coffee growers
Finding sustainable suppliers
If you want to show your commitment towards the ecology, then you need to find a sustainable supplier for your beverage business. Here are some guidelines that can be of help:
- Look for a private label coffee supplier who has made a name in the market as a sustainable supplier. The track record of the supplier can be verified to find out if they are known for following sustainable practices
- The coffee supplier would have their own supply chain. They need to ensure that sustainability is practised at all levels of the supply chain. You can ensure this by talking to the supplier and understanding the process they follow for sustainable sourcing.
- Accreditation from leading international bodies is a testament to the sustainable practices followed. You can check for certifications like:
- Rainforest Alliance
- Fair Trade
- UTZ
- GRI
- Ethical Trading Initiative
- Global GAP
- CDP
- SMETA SEDEX
- Traceable sourcing is very important when you are looking for sustainable suppliers. The supplier with whom you work must have traceability processes, so they can establish traceability to sustainable sources. Look for a supplier who is committed to 100% traceable sourcing. The sustainability must be traced from bush to cup.
- Sustainability in sourcing has a positive effect on the lives of people involved in the supply chain. Practices like minimum price helps to guarantee producers protect against fluctuation in market prices. It helps people have a secure livelihood. Certifications like Fairtrade can help ensure this. You need to look for these certifications while searching for sustainable suppliers.
- The supplier should treat sustainability as a core value that defines their business. Such a supplier can always be relied upon.
