It’s that time again: Counter Culture Coffee have released their Transparency Report, clearly laying out all their specs at origin, including prices paid, the last time the producer was visited and the length of the relationship between CCC and the farmers.

Counter Culture Coffee has been using the Direct Trade model for years, and starting last year, they began making their Direct Trade buying prices and practices a matter of public record. This is important because, in reality, there is absolutely nothing a company has to do to certify “Direct Trade”. There is no true “Direct Trade” certification by a third party, and that label can be placed on any coffee, regardless of the true nature of an importer’s practices at origin.

We spoke with CCC Green Buyer and origin expert Kim Elena Bullock a few weeks ago, following her presentation at the SCAA Symposium. Here’s a brief video of her discussing Direct Trade:

To call the annual Counter Culture Transparency Report laudable would be an enormous understatement. There’s truly nothing else like it in Specialty Coffee, especially for a company the size and reputation of Counter Culture, and we applaud them for releasing this list for the second year in a row.