SPECIALTY VS. COMMODITY
SPECIALTY COFFEE
The term speciality coffee was first used by Erna Knutsen of Knutsen Coffee, Ltd., in 1978. She referred to coffee beans grown in unique microclimates that had distinct, unique flavour profiles. Specialty coffee is defined as coffees that have scored between 80 and 100 out of a possible 100 on a standardised scale scored by coffee professionals. But specialty coffee is much more than that. The SCAA has gradually evolved a definition of speciality coffee that includes coffee beans that are grown using sustainable methods, processed carefully, freshly roasted and properly brewed. In order to ensure that the coffee sold as speciality coffee truly is something special, the SCAA looks for specific markers and one of the most important markers of speciality coffee is traceability.
For us Cloud Catcher, the sourcing are done by Project Origin, a specialty green bean company based in Canberra, Australia, focused on sourcing exceptional quality green coffee beans from over a hundred producers in over ten countries. Working directly with farmers, exporters and cooperatives towards community, sustainability and ongoing developments..
Red cherry - The ripest sweet coffee.
This has a major impact on the quality – only the ripe beans release their full flavour during roasting. This is why it is mainly single origins that have the privilege of being picked by hand.
COMMODITY COFFEE
When coffee is viewed as a commodity, it is characterised as a consistent product that may be substituted for another coffee of the same type. This accounts for the vast bulk of coffee drunk worldwide. Bigger corporation trades commodity coffee and the price is determined by the global market, regardless of the coffee's intrinsic quality.
This means the farmer gets paid the same for their coffee regardless of the quality of the coffee or the way in which it was produced. In a lot of cases and countries, the commodity price is below the cost of production so — so it is impossible for the farmer to make money. Farmers are unable to plan for the future due to volatile pricing.
Commodity coffee has no provenance and has neutral or negative flavour qualities, so customers will go with the lowest price offer without committing to a long-term relationship.