Behind the Sticker: Who Grew My Coffee? — sustainability RSS

Michael Wood works with Jhai Cooperative of coffee farmers in Laos, which includes the Setapoung families. We jumped on a call with him to hear more about the history of this coffee community and how they’re improving farmer earnings through radical transparency and more sustainable farm practices.

Like many other Costa Rican coffee farms, Enrique’s farm relies on seasonal migrant workers from Panama—often the indigenous Ngäbe-Buglé people who make a demanding journey that leaves the population in a state of mixed documentation, limited resources, and host to human rights abuses. Migrant farm workers can stay in warehouse-type buildings—40-60 people to each structure—with usually no sanitation, plumbing, mattresses, or privacy.