New Coffee Farming Models for the Next Generation (Felipe Croce & David Bray) | EP1135 Part 5 of 5 (Map It Forward)
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Episode Description
This is part 5 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 would success look like for a coffee supply chain built around shared risk, regenerative agriculture, and long-term commercial partnerships?
In the final episode of this series, Felipe and David explain how they intend to measure the success of The Common Ground Collective over the next five, ten, and twenty years.
David reflects on how becoming a production partner has changed his understanding of coffee supply chains and why he believes meaningful relationships between producers and roasters require more than traditional sourcing arrangements.
Both founders explain that their ambition isn't necessarily to build an increasingly large organisation, but to explore whether their approach could become an adaptable model for other farmers, roasters, and exporters.
The conversation explores the potential for regenerative agriculture to improve farming systems, the importance of commercial stability, and the opportunity to encourage younger generations to pursue careers in coffee production.
David also shares how Blue Butterfly Coffee Roasters is working toward sourcing 100% of its coffee from regenerative or agroforestry systems by 2030, compared with the approximately 60% he reports today.
Felipe discusses the financial and agricultural measures they're developing to assess the project's performance, including production yields, costs, coffee quality, and how farming practices can influence the final cup.
The series concludes with both founders reflecting on what they hope future generations will take from their work and why creating alternatives to existing coffee supply-chain models matters for the industry's long-term future.
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/