Coffee bean producers
Visiting fair trade coffee bean producers
Topvalu 's Fairtrade products are certified by the Fairtrade International and are made from raw materials from producer organizations that are also certified by the International Fairtrade Label Organization.
Producer organizations certified by the Fairtrade International Organization receive fair-traded returns and premiums that can be used to improve the lives of local communities.
AEON has established a set of standards (AEON Supplier Code of Conduct) for Topvalu products that covers not only the quality of the products but also the overall compliance of employees, workplace safety, the environment, etc., and requests all of its product suppliers, both in Japan and overseas, to comply with the standards and checks their status. *
Therefore, we felt that in fair trade, whose purpose is to support raw material producers, it was necessary to check from a similar perspective with raw material producer organizations to see whether the rights and safety of their employees were being protected.
During this visit to the producers, we used the checklist we had created to confirm AEON Supplier Code of Conduct requirements, as well as whether the Fairtrade Labelling Organization certification was being maintained and whether the premium was being used effectively.
- AEON Supplier Code of Conduct: Click here for initiative details
Fedecocagua, Republic of Guatemala
The Republic of Guatemala, east of Central and South America and Mexico, is a little larger than the combined size of Hokkaido and Shikoku. Agriculture and textiles such as coffee, bananas and sugar are the main industries.
Established in 1969, FEDECOCAGUA (Federation of Agricultural Cooperative of Coffee Producers of Guatemala Ltd) is a coalition of about 150 small coffee bean producers in Guatemala.
Producers (organizations) certified by the International Fairtrade Label Organization for food products must be a farm style (plantation) in which a large number of single crops are cultivated, or an agricultural cooperative style in which small-scale farmers gather to form an organization. Fedecocagua is the latter.
The headquarters is located in Guatemala City, but it is an organization where small-scale farmers from all over Guatemala gather to form a branch (member union), and 55 branches are united.
In May 2012 we visited Guatemala by way of Houston, Texas in the United States, and participated in a conference. 110 representatives of the 55 branches participated in this conference. The conference covered many areas, such as income reports and budget approvals, solidifying regulations documents on matters such as child labor rules, abolition of forced labor, employment contracts, and explanations on the handling of pesticides.
Most reports and proposals were approved in a majority vote by a show of hands, and the conference ended with a pledge from the executives and representative director that these items would be upheld.
Topvalu products were also introduced at the conference. The item that garnered the most interest was our drip coffee. Drip type coffee is actually quite rare overseas.
Maybe it is a style unique to Japan?
110 representatives of producers from all across Guatemala gather together
Question and answer sessions on each item
Each item resolved with a majority vote. Those in favor raised their hands.
Fedecocagua executives and the representative director of the producers swear to uphold items that were passed
Introducing Topvalu products
Member producer alliance – A visit to Codepa
Next we headed to Palin, a town about one hour by car from Guatemala City. Here we visited Codepa, a member alliance of Fedecocagua.
Ninety percent of the 3,150 members of Codepa are from the Poqoman tribe, and in addition to Spanish, 65% of the tribe speak the Poqoman language.
Eight producers gathered in Palin so that they could be interviewed on farm operations using the following 10 items and to check paperwork and other records.
(1) Child labor (2) Forced labor (3) Health and safety (4) Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining (democratic operation of the cooperative) (5) Disciplinary practices (6) Working hours (7) Wages and benefits (8) Environment (9) Certification, audits, management, updates (fair trade certification update) (10) Fair trade bonus (fair trade premium usage)
Many of the items were already established in and managed by the Codepa regulations. One issue, however, is that records are not kept for all items.
Persons who have completed a safety course are designated as health and safety advisors who provide guidance to other producers.
Fair trade premiums are used to provide free health checkups at independent clinics, access to pharmacies where medicine can be purchased at low cost, and banking services for members of the association.
On the other hand, it is common for children to help their parents at Guatemalan coffee farms across the country when not attending school, so concerns over child labor remain.
On this trip, we only visited and interviewed producers in two areas located close to the city, and were not able to go to any mountain communities.
We made it known at the Codepa conference that Japanese consumers are concerned about child labor, and the minimum hiring age must be upheld.
Meet the Producers
Manuel Garcia, one of seven people interviewed
Maria Deifina Mita, one of three women present
Antioquia Producers Cooperative, Republic of Colombia
We arrived in Colombia after passing through Panama from Guatemala. The Cooperativa de Caficultores del Occidente de Antioquia (Antioquia Producers Cooperative), established in 1986, is a group consisting of 14 residential areas spreading across the western section of Antioquia. Each residential area has a coffee trading post where association members can offer their produce at a fair price, receive fertilizer, and receive instruction on how to use pesticides and coffee cultivation techniques.
We conducted the same checks as at Codepa in Guatemala.
First, we interviewed the CEO and general manager in charge of the Antioquia board of trustees and six other people, then checked paperwork and records.
The interviewees explained that they operate based on Colombian law, however their records and paperwork were somewhat lacking.
A shared chemical storage facility was used for pesticides, with a pesticide manager making rounds and explaining proper usage and dangers.
We noticed that the association runs operations with an eye on environmental impact, such as periodically testing the quality of waste water, etc.
Fair trade premiums are being used for facilities, equipment, growing saplings, environmental compliance and certification costs.
These items are determined at agricultural cooperative producer meetings attended by representatives elected by community advisors.
Visit to Ebejico member producer alliance
We visited the La Granja farm, a member of Ebejico located at an altitude of 1,300 meters and about one hour by car from the Antioquia headquarters.
With an average annual temperature of 30 degrees, shades made from banana leaves, etc. are used for cultivation purposes.
An advisor from Antioquia came and explained how to use safety equipment when handling pesticides, and how to spread pesticides properly.
Water quality is periodically tested at Antioquia to assess the impact on the environment.
The association also handles pulp removal and sun drying equipment repairs, showing that everyone works together to improve productivity.
Complete repairs of the coffee bean pulp removal machine
Pesticide training by staff from Antioquia
Meet the Producers
People we talked to:
Juan Camilo Bedoya
Holmes Rodriguez
This visit has helped us confirm that when customers purchase Topvalu fair trade coffee, fair trade premiums help the lives of the producers in some way.
We look forward to your further support of Topvalu fair trade products in the future.