What is direct trade coffee?
Direct trade coffee is coffee a roaster buys through its own relationship with the farmer or processor, rather than through a certification scheme. There is no single direct trade standard: each roaster sets its own terms. Those who practice it describe paying higher premiums, tied to quality, in open and lasting relationships with the people who grow the coffee.
Oregon roasters that buy direct
Seven Oregon roasters we list describe direct buying on their own sites, checked 2026-09-27. A listing does not mean a roaster is part of the club or in a box.
- Portland Coffee Roasters has bought directly from farmers since it opened in 1996. Its first direct trade shipment came from the La Hilda Estate in Costa Rica, its first project at origin was with Finca El Paternal in Guatemala in 1999, and it still roasts La Hilda every year.
- Nossa Familia in Portland is built on its founder's family farms in Brazil's Sul de Minas and Cerrado regions, which remain at the heart of its direct trade model.
- Backporch in Bend buys directly from farms in El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Costa Rica and elsewhere, and has worked with the Menendez family in El Salvador for more than 13 years.
- Trailhead in Portland says most of its coffee relationships are direct trade, and that its owner aims to help farmers, mostly women, through trade rather than charity.
- Sisters Coffee has bought from the Villatoro family in Guatemala for 21 years and from the Nyampinga cooperative in Rwanda for 11.
- Coava in Portland describes long-term producer relationships and an agronomy audit at each farm it buys from.
- Heart in Portland sends staff to the farms it buys from through the year and publishes a transparency report.
The Oregon half of the relationship matters as much as the farm half. These are Portland, Bend and Sisters businesses, and the roasting and packing happen here. More on why local roasters matter.
How direct trade works
Wikipedia's direct trade article lists what its advocates do differently from certified fair trade:
- Pay higher premiums to farmers than fair trade requires.
- Tie those premiums to quality, so a better coffee earns a better price.
- Buy from individual farmers and processors whatever their size, whether or not they belong to a cooperative.
- Offer loans or support for equipment and education.
- Skip certification fees and dues.
- Build trust through visits, price negotiation and shared information.
Because nobody certifies it, direct trade means whatever a given roaster makes it mean. The main criticism, per the same article, is the lack of third-party accountability: some companies use the phrase without any published evidence. The answer some roasters give is transparency: naming farms, and publishing reports on what they paid.
Direct trade vs fair trade
| Direct trade | Fair trade | |
|---|---|---|
| Rules | Set by each roaster | Set by a certifier, such as Fairtrade International |
| Price | Premium negotiated with the farm, tied to quality | Guaranteed minimum price |
| Who sells | Any farm or processor the roaster chooses | Small-scale producer organizations |
| Proof | The roaster's own reporting | A label backed by inspections |
| Fees | No certification fees | Fees for certification and the mark |
More: fair trade coffee.
Direct trade in the club
The club does not set sourcing rules for roasters; each roaster buys its own green coffee its own way, and our roaster profiles describe how, from the roaster's own pages. Each box brings a 12 oz bag from a different independent Oregon roaster, with our packing slip naming the roaster and their story. $16.99 a bag, every 2 or 4 weeks, first bag free and you pay $7.99 shipping. Build a plan in the plan builder.
Related terms and sources
Related: fair trade coffee, coffee cooperative, third wave coffee, transparency report, green coffee.
- Wikipedia: Direct trade (definition, practices, criticism, transparency reports)
- Wikipedia: Fair-trade coffee (the certified alternative)
- Oregon roaster sourcing: each roaster's own pages, read 2026-09-27, as summarized on our roaster profiles.