After the cupping process is over, the exporter must then find a buyer for the product. This isn’t easy: the market is fast paced and it’s the exporter’s job to get the best price that they can. Moreover, achieving a fair price can sometimes be difficult as the coffee can cost more inside the market than outside it. This can lead to real a dilemma over cost and quality.
Diana explained that it can be a struggle to pitch the best product against competitors – especially when there are so many of them. She also told me that there are over 100,000 producers in Honduras alone, some of which will only produce 5 bags of coffee. On top of that, the competitors change depending on the season: one year, Peru might not offer a challenge to Honduran coffee, but the next, it might be all her customers want to buy. With so much competition, it can make it extremely difficult to sell higher quality products for the price they deserve.
Yet there’s also a push towards good coffee – and not just because of the rise of specialty, although that’s certainly a factor. Even after the coffee has been shipped, there’s still a danger that it will be rejected. Therefore ensuring that the product is of the best possible quality is in the interests of both the buyer and the exporter.
There are a few things exporters can do to increase the value of their coffee. By meeting producers and visiting farms, they are then able to assess the production and certify the product as “fairtrade” or “rainforest alliance”. This can increase the value of the coffee without it having to achieve a specialty grade.
And as quality becomes a priority, even intermediaries are investing in their own equipment (such as driers) to improve their coffee and therefore their position in the supply chain.