Why Coffee Roasters Need to Understand Farming (Felipe Croce & David Bray) | EP1134 Part 4 of 5 (Map It Forward)
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Episode Description
This is part 4 of a new 5-part series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward hosted by Lee Safar. Our guests on the podcast for this series are Felipe Croce from FAF Coffees in Brazil and David Bray from Blue Butterfly Coffee Roasters in Ireland, co-founders of The Common Ground Collective.
The theme of this series is A New Way of Building Coffee Supply Chains.
What problems could be solved if coffee producers and roasters took greater responsibility for the entire supply chain?
In this episode, Felipe and David explore how The Common Ground Collective could address the disconnect between coffee producers and consuming markets, improve access to investment for long-term agricultural development, and create stronger commercial relationships between farmers and roasters.
Felipe challenges the way specialty coffee communicates value, arguing that the industry relies too heavily on repetitive technical information while missing opportunities to explain the people, farming practices, and decisions behind the coffee.
David introduces the idea of looking at coffee's qualities rather than focusing exclusively on cup scores, including soil health, farm viability, and the conditions required to produce the final product.
The discussion also explores how shared ownership could change purchasing decisions, encourage roasters to take greater responsibility for the coffee they produce, and create more meaningful relationships with consumers.
Felipe explains how regenerative farming systems may also change the economics of production by reducing dependence on purchased agricultural inputs and directing more spending toward local labour and farm management.
They conclude by considering why the value proposition for coffee consumers needs to evolve if the industry wants to build sustainable businesses over the long term.
Connect with Felipe Croce, David Bray, and The Common Ground Collective:
The Common Ground Collective: https://www.instagram.com/thecommongroundcollectivecgc/
FAF Coffees: https://www.instagram.com/fafcoffees/
Blue Butterfly Coffee Roasters: https://www.instagram.com/bluebutterflyireland/
Felipe Croce: https://www.linkedin.com/in/felipe-croce-42180829b
David Bray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-bray-53731b6b/