Idle Hands, The Coffee Company That Works To Give Back To Producers Through Programs Like Alliance For Coffee Excellence – CoffeeTalk

Ricky Dyson, Adrian Bradshaw Tezjan, and Peter Jones founded Idle Hands in Utah, Australia, after Campos Coffee, a third-wave coffee company, was acquired by Dutch giant JDE Peet’s. The brand left Dyson and Tezjan without jobs, leading to the idea of starting their own roastery with the equipment left by Campos. By November 2021, they had their secondhand equipment moved into a warehouse and adopted their fingers-crossed logo, which symbolizes good luck.

Idle Hands works with other organizations to give money back to their producers, including the nonprofit Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), which sources exceptional coffee and auctions it off to roasters. This allows exemplary coffee farmers, whether award-winning or not, to realize a greater financial price for their coffees. Jones, an international jury member for the Cup of Excellence, lends his experience to judging the coffees submitted to the program. Idle Hands also participates in the auctions that take place after the final judging, purchasing unique and high-quality coffee that they roast in small batches, giving the local coffee community the chance to experience award-winning coffee.

The company works tirelessly to give back to the original coffee growers, an effort that is sorely needed in the national coffee trade. The average price per pound of coffee paid to farmers since 2014 has plummeted by 70% and now dances around $1 per pound. Dyson emphasizes the importance of pricing transparency, especially within higher-end coffee, and how it takes time and investment to understand the value stream of coffee.

Read More @ Slug Mag