The mellow aroma of caramel, dark chocolate and blackberry hang in the air whilst nutty undertones dance across the palate.
The dulcet tones of a moustached man’s voice praises the salty sweet thinning tones, as his tattooed hands pop with the vibrance of the crema.
The intricate swirls and dollops, framed within the mug, resemble a graceful swan riding a bicycle, with the bass in the experimental jazz breathing life into the cup, as it rattles across the counter.
Aussie cafes, there’s nothing quite like them.
Have you ever thought about life without coffee? To some it would be a death sentence, but this apocalyptic catastrophe might not be so hard to imagine.
The coffee trade is an extremely volatile industry, relying on small farms to produce 84 per cent of the world’s 11 million tonnes of coffee.
Despite this, large roasters and traders hold the power in the coffee world, with just five coffee traders controlling half of the global green coffee.
Small producers are squeezed by the industry’s pursuit of affordable green coffee, with vital aspects such as sustainability and fair-trade practices often ignored.
The effects of farming and climate change are damaging the regions where coffee is grown, producing countries are estimated to lose 30-60 per cent of the land fit for coffee cultivation due to the loss of biodiversity and fertile soil.
Farming practices such as spraying fertilisers and pesticides are damaging the soil, waterways are polluted from water processing coffee and as the soil continues to degrade, as farmers continue to look for new ground to farm causing further deforestisation.
Source: Fairtrade
Small farms are pushed to continue producing as much coffee for as cheap as possible, so it’s hard to instil ethical and sustainable practices.
Source: Responsible Coffee Sourcing: Towards a Living Income for Producers
Of the 10 countries that produce the most green coffee, only Brazilian farmers earn a living income.
What can be done then to ensure a cheeky flat white isn’t contributing to the problem?
The best thing as a consumer is to buy ethically sourced beans from local roasters.
Roasters such as Pablo and Rusty’s work to empower small farms,
“As consumers we have the power to make a difference,” Brian, from Pablo and Rusty’s said,
“We only purchase specialty grade coffee that scored a minimum 83 points on the international Q grading system.
“We ensure all the coffee we purchase is considered for ecological care and community development and that workers are treated and paid fairly.”
Sustainability benefits coffee lovers as well.
Produce that has been carefully grown and sourced is abundant with flavour thanks to the passion of its production.
The hearty warble of country music lulls the air in a Bonnet Bay cafe, crackling bacon sings a song of guilty delight, whilst espresso drops paint rich caramel clouds.
Behind the counter customers are met with a warm smile and a greeting.
A double walled cup filled with a brighter day is placed in hands before they can ask for a ‘double caramel decaf extra hot almond Latte’, as Michael Buckley-Scott – the café’s owner – remembers from the first time.
His café-pizza shop, Wolfpack Woodfire, has a steady pulse of locals relying on coffee and atmosphere.
The brew of community hangs heavily in the air with each customer adding intricate swirls to the mix as they walk through the café doors.
“My favourite part here is the community,” Mr Buckley-Scott said.
Wolfpack uses Three Pence beans; a local roaster focused on the source of their coffee, as well as its sustainability.
“It’s great to have the support between local businesses.”
“If you ever have any issues, you can give them a call and they personally come to help out,
“And the coffee is beautiful.”
Source: International Coffee Organisation
As global coffee prices continue to soar due to supply issues, it might be time to look inwards for a source of ethical beans.
Around half a per cent of coffee consumed in Australia is grown in the country by only 50 farms.
However, with the importance of ethical, sustainable coffee being paramount there may be room for expansion in the Australian coffee industry, as traditional growers struggle to combat climate change and rising costs.
Australian coffee farmer Richard Gibson said it’s still too early for real change.
“If we got hit with a bigger demand all of a sudden, the industry wouldn’t be able to handle it currently,” he said in an interview with the ABC.
Australia produces up to 600 tonnes of green coffee beans annually, whilst importing roughly 132,000 tonnes of beans.
There is space for Australian farmers to grow the market with specialty coffee as they can produce ethical, sustainable coffee without facing the pressures of other coffee growers, focusing instead on the quality of the coffee rather than tonnage.
Brian from Pablo and Rusty’s agreed that coffee lovers will have to support farmers by paying a higher price to ensure ethical produce remains viable.
“Specialty coffee farmers and the coffee growing industry as a whole are feeling the effects of climate change first hand alongside the global economic challenges,” he said,
“We need to become comfortable with paying more for our coffee.”
He said it was the efforts of sustainable farmers that will ensure coffee production continues, even if it costs a little more.