Over the last twelve years, Hugo Ciro (president of Level Ground Trading) has visited producer regions to meet with farmers, cooperatives, and exporters. On these journeys, he has sought to calculate Actual Payment to Farmers —a cost distribution for every pound of green coffee beans purchased and shipped to Level Ground Trading.

By calculating the actual payment to farmers on each shipment, we ensure that farmers receive a fair and sustainable share of the total price we pay for green beans. Level Ground is committed to ensuring farmers receive 65% of the price we pay per pound of green beans. We receive a transparency report from each of our trading partners to verify this. This is what we call, Direct Fair Trade.

Knowing the actual payment to farmers allows us to ensure that justice is inherent in every trade transaction. We import coffee directly and in 2009 we paid farmers on average 27% above the FLO certified minimum price.

Direct Fair Trade Makes a Difference: