Direct trade growing among coffee bean buyers

A growing group of coffee roasters have become disenchanted with the Fair Trade model and think they can do better. Known as direct trade, their movement is small and does not have uniform definitions or guidelines. Customers often have to take the roaster's word for it that growers were paid fairly.

Direct trade coffee gains ground; Fair Trade exec calls it 'doomed to be small'

About half of the green coffee that spins and pops in Mark Barany's roaster in Bellevue comes from farms he knows. Barany (in photo by Seattle Times photographer Steve Ringman) has not visited them yet. His roastery and Seattle cafe, Kuma Coffee, are just a few years old and do not throw off lots of cash and free time for trips abroad.

Peet's Coffee & Tea unveils Alta de Dota Single Origin Special Roast

Starbucks will launch VIA Flavored Coffees, a new line of four different coffee flavors, in the comp ... Starbucks said that it has assumed 100% ownership and operating control of Starbucks Brazil through ...

CapVest's United Coffee Buys Cafes Pivard In Bid To Unify Market

CapVest's United Coffee Buys Cafes Pivard In Bid To Unify Market

Counter Culture Coffee gets West Coast accounts, but nothing planned for Seattle

Counter Culture Coffee, one of the best coffee roasters in the country, has no customers in Seattle.