Did you know over the last 5 years Cafédirect has:

• Trained growers to professionally taste their own products, helping them to improve quality and understand market value.
• Supported grower partners for up to two years to help them achieve Fairtrade status to enable them to trade with us.
• Paid more than £7.5 million above the market price to growers (including Fairtrade premiums).
• Invested over £3 million in tailor-made programmes to strengthen growers' businesses as part of our Producer Partnership Programme, which represents more than 50% of our profits.
• In total, paid more than £10.5 million towards the businesses and communities of our grower partners.

Cafédirect - We Are the Growers and You can Taste It
At Cafédirect, we make it our business to deliver award-winning, ethical hot drinks. Growers are at the heart of everything we do and we invest over 50% of our profits back into their businesses to continually improve taste and quality.

Rooted in Ethical Trading
For 18 years Cafédirect has pioneered ethical business in the UK. What began with a crisis gesture from farmers on the brink of ruin has blossomed into the leading model of sustainable business in the hot beverage sector. Trading for three years before the Fairtrade mark was used in the UK, we were the first coffee brand to carry the mark.

Our innovative approach ensures growers play a key role in every aspect of Cafédirect, from governance to product design. Through direct, long-term relationships, we empower our grower partners to build a financially, socially and environmentally sustainable future for themselves, their families, and their communities. They hold shares in Cafédirect and have two representatives on our Board. Over and above a Fairtrade minimum price, the investment of over 50% of profits back into the businesses and communities of our grower partners is unique to Cafédirect.

Today Cafédirect is the UK's largest 100% Fairtrade hot beverage company and our work positively impacts the lives of 1.4 million people in 13 developing countries. Driving ethical business from the niche to the mainstream, the company has become a beacon - encouraging and inspiring social enterprise, and challenging others to change the way they do business.

Award Winning Products
In 2008, Cafédirect won eight prestigious Gold Great Taste Awards across our range of products. Regarded as the food and drink industry's Oscars, The Guild of Fine Food's annual Great Taste Awards are the UK's largest independent evaluation of gourmet and fine food and drink. We swept the board in the hot beverages category with one, two and three Gold Stars awarded for our wholebeans, roast and ground coffees, premium instant coffee and for our tea. For the second year in a row our Machu Picchu coffee scooped a Gold one star award as well as our Organic decaffeinated premium freeze dried instant coffee which also gained the one star accolade.

The Perfect Serve
To achieve the perfect serve you must start with a high quality product but as important is ensuring you have the right machine in place. In partnership with Peros, we can provide tailor made solutions in line with customer requirements. From providing high quality products, the right equipment and after sales support to barista training and strong marketing support materials, Cafédirect is a one stop solution to achieving the perfect serve.

Environmental Impact and Adaptation
Standing side-by-side with farmers through the good and the bad times, we work to help farmers adapt to climate change.. In partnership with the German Technical Corporation (GTZ) and several of our grower partners, we are in the final year of a three year project to identify ways that smallholder tea and coffee farmers can cope with the climate change that is already affecting their livelihoods.

In addition we also support and encourage reforestation, energy efficiency and clean water projects.

For example, in the Michimikuru tea factory in Kenya we also worked with the cooperatives to implement changes that reduced the amount of timber used to dry their tea by 50%. There has also been a 15% decrease in electricity charges, 90% of all light bulbs used have been changed to energy saving versions and overall the Michimikuru cooperative is operating using 30% less energy than it was before.