Grayson Caldwell | Defining sustainability and its role in the coffee market

Daniel chats with Grayson Caldwell, a fellow Columbia University SIPA MPA-DP graduate and sustainability expert in the coffee industry. Grayson explains the certification buzzwords circulating in the coffee market and how new pricing methodologies ensure a fair price for coffee farmers, which reflects both the market and the costs of living for farmers.  

For more information on the UN Sustainable Development Goals:
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

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Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:07 Daniel and Grayson discuss their relationships with coffee.
• 3:30 What do we mean by sustainability?
• 6:08 What are the economics behind Daniel's cup of coffee?
• 8:06 Who are the farmers and farms within the coffee market?
• 9:56 Grayson explains the vulnerability felt by coffee farmers.
• 11:57 Fair Trade? Direct Trade? Grayson breaks down the "certification rodeo."
• 14:52 The price of coffee doesn't reflect the actual costs of living for coffee farmers.
• 18:26 A new methodology to ensure coffee farmers are paid a fair price.
• 22:31 Shifting the power differential between coffee producers and coffee buyers.
• 25:30 The role of coffee farmer cooperatives in ensuring sustainability and fair pricing.
• 27:46 Grayson discusses the role of relationships in gaining buy-in from farmers.
• 29:09 What is my role as a coffee drinker?
• 31:06 Final thoughts and goodbyes