This page has been on our site for some time, but we thought it would be good to update it and put it back up front-- especially in light of the excellent discussion going on on our "Map of Our Supply Chain" story.

Our adherence to international Fair Trade standards is audited by our organic certifier Midwest Organic Services Association (MOSA). However, to keep you all totally in the loop, we post all of our contracts, organic certifications, etc. on our importing co-op's (Cooperative Coffees) website for you to peruse.

Please feel free to check them out here.

There are 4 types of documents featured in this section: Contracts (CON), Invoices (INV), Bills of Lading (BOL), and Organic Certifications (ORG). These can be a little confusing, so here is a brief run-down of what they are all about.

1) Contracts: The contract is signed between our importing co-op (Cooperative Coffees) and the grower cooperatives. It features Quality, Quantity, Price, Weight, Payment Terms, Insurance Coverage, Port of Shipping, Destination of coffee, and any special instructions or comments. The price section features all of the various organic and fair trade premiums. These can be hard to decipher, but it is cool to see how they break down.

2) Invoices: This is the invoice issued by the Grower Cooperative for the coffee purchase. This document includes quantity, quality stipulations, total price per pound, and total price for the contract as well as some of the same info available in the contract.

3) Bill of Lading: This document is issued by the sea freight company carrying the coffee to the US. It includes some of the info on the other 2 documents, but also the total cost for shipping.

4) Organic Certification: This document is issued by the organic certifier at origin to confirm that USDA NOP orgainc standards have been met in production.

The Coffees we are roasting are indicated by these initials:

Bolivia: BOA
Colombia: COP and COT (COT is transitional)
Dominican Repuplic: DOF
Ethiopian: ETY and ETH
Guatemalan: GUS (note Just Coffee pays an additional .45 per pound social premium)
Mexican: MEY, MEC, MEM, and MEV
Nicaraguan: NIF, NIT, NIC
Peru: PEP
Rwanda: RWA
Sumatra: SUG and SUR (robusta beans)
East Timor: TIM (we no longer buy these beans, but are working to find new sources)

On our website you will find contracts, invoices, and BOLs dating back 2 to 3 years. Generally, the newest contracts are toward the bottom of each of these pages.

Please let us know if you have any questions or feedback. We plan to improve the readability of this information in the new year.

Thanks!!!