Cafédirect facts for kids

Cafédirect is a company in the United Kingdom that works in a special way. It's known for being a "Fairtrade" company. This means it helps farmers get a fair price for their products, like coffee, tea, and cocoa. Cafédirect wants to make sure farmers earn enough money for their hard work.

How Cafédirect Started

Cafédirect began in 1991. It was created by several groups, including Oxfam and Traidcraft. They wanted to help coffee, cocoa, and tea farmers. Before Cafédirect, coffee prices had dropped a lot around the world in 1989. The company's main goal was to make sure farmers earned more money for their products.

In 1992, Cafédirect made its first big deal. Its products were sold in Co-op and Safeway stores in Scotland. A government official, Clare Short, supported the brand early on.

Cafédirect was the very first coffee brand to get the Fairtrade certification mark. This mark shows that products meet fair trade standards. The company uses about 60% of its earnings to help farmers. This money goes towards training and programs that help farmers grow their businesses.

In February 2004, the company offered more shares for sale. This helped them raise about $9.1 million to grow their business.

By 2007, Cafédirect was very popular in the UK. It sold 34% of all Fairtrade coffee, 32% of Fairtrade tea, and 14% of Fairtrade drinking chocolate. Overall, it was the fifth largest coffee brand and seventh largest tea brand in the UK.

In May 2014, Cafédirect bought Kopi. Kopi was one of the biggest coffee subscription services in the UK. In April 2019, Cafédirect worked with Waitrose to sell special, high-quality coffee products.

Helping Farmers and Producers

Cafédirect has a special promise called the Gold Standard. This means they always pay more than the regular world market price for coffee. They also help farmers improve their businesses.

Between 2004 and 2009, Cafédirect paid farmers over £7.5 million more than the market price. This included extra Fairtrade payments. They also invested over £3 million in special programs to make farmers' businesses stronger. This was more than half of the company's profits. In total, they gave over £10.5 million to help their farmer partners and their communities.

Besides paying fair prices, Cafédirect gives a part of its profits back to the farmers. This money helps them learn about the market and get business management training. Their Producer Partnership Programme (PPP) started in 1996. It goes even further than the basic Fairtrade rules. In 2007, the company put £600,000 into the PPP. Other groups also added £700,000, so farmers received a total of £1.3 million in support.

Awards and Recognition

Cafédirect has won many awards for its products and its work:

• 2008–2011: They won 15 Gold Great Taste Awards from the Guild of Fine Food. These awards celebrate delicious food and drink.
• 2011: They received the Social Impact award at the Guardian Sustainable Business Awards. This was for their Producer Partnership Programme (PPP), which helps communities.
• 2013: Cafédirect was named 'Best Ethical Brand' in the Good Housekeeping Food Awards. Their Decaf Roast & Ground coffee also won a Great Taste Award. Their Foodservice Decaf Espresso blend won a '3 Star' award, which is a very high honor.

See also

• Equal Exchange
• Lorna Young