Sustainability

We believe that sustainability is the single most critical issue in coffee, and sustainability itself is a huge topic encompassing everything from fair pricing for farmers to protecting tropical ecosystems to finding ways to empower communities that have been historically marginalized in coffee. Whiptail is a small coffee roaster, but the company was born with the intention of incorporating sustainability into all that we do, and we hope to continue the focus on sustainability as we grow.

The biggest problem with coffee is that small coffee farmers often aren't able to make ends meet, even as our industry grows, innovates, and creates opportunities for a few via the large and powerful companies that have enormous influence on the supply chain. Sometimes small coffee producers invest in producing coffee and are unable to earn back their cost of production. The consequences can be devastating for families struggling with poverty and reinforces the inequality along the supply chain. We partner with importers that are transparent about the prices they pay to farmers, and we focus on long-term relationships founded in respect. Paying high prices for coffees we offer is key, and we share our transparency data with our customers as part of our commitment to a more equitable supply chain.

But that's only a start. Focusing on partnerships with marginalized groups of coffee growers, such as female producers and indigenous communities, is part of a wider strategy of tackling the chronic inequality in coffee. We also focus on partnerships with small businesses and companies that share our values. Whiptail buys coffee from small producers because they tend to use more environmentally sustainable growing methods - shade trees and intercropping fosters healthy soils and biodiversity in fragile tropical ecosystems. We also try to do our part by using less wasteful packaging and roasting at a shared roasting space working toward a lower carbon footprint. Sustainability is about finding new ways to make a positive impact on the world, and minimizing the negative impacts we can each have; it's not easy but it's the most rewarding aspect of what we do.