EP1688 Part 3 of 5 | Who Carries the Cost of Coffee Sustainability? (Pedro Manga) | Map It Forward
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Episode Description
This is part 3 of a new 5-part series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, hosted by Lee Safar. Our guest on the podcast for this series is Pedro Manga, Sustainability and Impact Advisor.
In this series, Lee and Pedro examine the gaps in sustainability across the coffee supply chain and ask whether the systems we have built are actually creating more prosperous coffee communities.
In this episode, the conversation focuses on the growing disconnect between sustainability standards created in consuming markets and the realities faced by the people expected to implement them at origin.
Using the Benecke controversy as a starting point, Lee and Pedro examine certification, Fairtrade, organic coffee, EUDR and other sustainability frameworks — and ask whether accountability is being applied equally across the supply chain.
Pedro argues that regulations and certifications can create meaningful improvements. The problem is not necessarily the objective behind them, but the imbalance that can emerge when producers and cooperatives carry much of the operational burden, financial cost, data collection and long-term commitment required to meet those standards.
The conversation explores why converting a farm to organic production can become a multi-year commitment, why producers often have less flexibility than buyers, how certification costs are distributed, and why traceability and transparency are essential if sustainability claims are going to retain their meaning.
Lee and Pedro also discuss how better information flowing back toward origin could help cooperatives assess the financial stability of buyers, understand risk, and make better commercial decisions before committing significant volumes of coffee.
The episode ultimately asks whether sustainability can deliver meaningful impact without a more balanced distribution of responsibility between production and consumption.
Connect with Pedro Manga here:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pedro-manga-5802b8170/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_pedroplanta_/