About Coffee Trade Justice
Our Mission
The global coffee trade moves $200 billion a year. The people who grow it see almost none of it.
CoffeeTradeJustice.org exists to close the information gap between what the coffee industry says and what it actually does. We investigate supply chain abuses, document labor exploitation, track price manipulation, and name the corporations and intermediaries responsible — so that farmers, workers, consumers, policymakers, and industry insiders all have access to the same facts.
Coffee is the second most traded commodity on earth. Its supply chain stretches from smallholder farms in Ethiopia, Colombia, Vietnam, and Indonesia to roasters and retailers in the wealthiest cities in the world. At every link in that chain, power is concentrated at the top — and accountability is almost nonexistent.
We believe accountability is not a luxury. It is the precondition for a trade that is fair, sustainable, and honest about its costs.
What We Do
Four pillars of work
01
Investigative Reporting
We publish original, documented investigations into corporate conduct, supply chain abuses, and labor conditions — with named sources, primary documents, and verifiable facts.
02
Advocacy & Policy Reform
We translate investigative findings into policy recommendations and work with advocates, legislators, and international bodies pushing for structural reform of commodity trade rules.
03
Industry Transparency
We scrutinize certification schemes, sustainability claims, and traceability programs — separating genuine progress from greenwashing and holding certifiers to their own standards.
04
Public Education
We publish resources, case studies, and explainers for consumers, students, and industry professionals who want to understand the real economics and ethics behind their cup.
Who We Serve
Accountability belongs to everyone in the chain
Our work is built for a wide audience — because the coffee trade touches all of them.
The producers at origin who bear the most risk and receive the least reward. Their testimony, when they can safely give it, is central to our reporting.
People who want to make informed choices and understand what sustainability claims actually mean.
Brokers, roasters, and buyers who know the system's flaws from the inside — and sometimes want to change them.
Officials and legislators working on trade, labor, and environmental frameworks who need documented evidence to act on.
Editorial Standards
How we work
Every claim we publish is supported by primary sources — documents, data, on-record interviews, or direct observation. We contact all parties named in our investigations before publication and publish their responses in full when provided.
We accept tips from insiders, whistleblowers, and the public. Tips can be submitted anonymously. We protect the identity of confidential sources and will never publish identifying information without explicit consent.
CoffeeTradeJustice.org accepts no advertising from the coffee industry or any corporate entity whose conduct we might investigate. Our independence is not for sale.
Submit a TipAccountability Network
CoffeeTradeJustice.org is a partner site in a wider coffee accountability network.
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