Creating shared value starts with workers: How improving working conditions can increase farmer and roaster profitability
(Room 24 C)
10 Apr 26
1:00 PM
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1:45 PM
Improving working conditions in the coffee sector is not only the right thing to do and essential to reducing legal and reputational risk for companies, but also a key driver of profitability. The 2025 NCA & SCA National Coffee Data Trends report, based on surveys of almost 2,000 consumers, found that social and environmental sustainability-related factors – chief among them treating farmworkers well – constitute 3 of the top 5 claims that influence consumer coffee purchases. Treating workers fairly is more important to consumers than information about coffee grind, coffee varietals, and the specific origin of coffee, among many other factors. Furthermore, the survey shows that the impact of all major certifications (except organic) on consumer purchase intent has fallen sharply since 2017.
Many efforts to create shared value in the coffee sector stop at farmers, failing to provide benefits to farmworkers, who are the most vulnerable actors in coffee supply chains. The onus for improving working conditions cannot be placed on coffee farmers, the second most vulnerable and under-resourced actors in the supply chain, who are unable to pay living wages if they do not earn a living income. Therefore, coffee roasters and retailers need to identify and implement innovative, cost-effective, scalable approaches to improving worker wellbeing in the coffee sector.
During this lecture, Verité will share open-source tools and online training modules for coffee roasters, traders, cooperatives and farmers, created through its Cooperation On Fair, Free, Equitable Employment (COFFEE) Project and our Farm Labor Due Diligence Toolkit, along with lessons learned from pilot projects to improve working conditions on farms, while at the same time creating cost savings for farmers and reducing labor shortages and improving quality. By implementing these tools and approaches, companies will drive measurable improvements of working conditions in their supply chains, significantly reducing legal and reputational exposure and increasing the marketability of their coffee.