Episode 5: My favorite questions to ask on a coffee farm

This is the fifth article in a series about traveling to origin as a green coffee buyer. In this episode I am going to share my favorite questions to ask when you’re on a coffee farm. 

If you’ve ever been on an origin trip, you have probably had this experience:  You’re on a farm visit at the end of a long day. After looking at coffee plants and milling equipment everyone stands around and someone asks, “have any questions?” You have come all of this way, so what questions should you be asking? If you’re not prepared, it can be hard to come up with a good question, especially with a travel weary brain. But, asking the right questions can unlock a lot of interesting information and even strengthen your relationship with the producer that you’re talking to. 

Having been in this situation many times, here is a list of my favorite questions to ask when you’re on a coffee farm:

• What’s your biggest challenge right now?
  • This is my all time favorite question, and it gets fantastic answers. I ask this question to everyone, everywhere on origin trips. If you only ask one question, this is the best one. 

 

• Is it difficult to find people to pick coffee here? 
  • Labor shortages are a big problem in a lot of places, and can be a huge problem for coffee producers. It’s a good thing to watch for in your supply chains. 

 

• Has the price of labor for picking coffee changed from last year? 
  • This question can help you understand a producer’s cost of production and is also a nice way to ask a producer how much they’re paying coffee pickers. 

 

• Have you noticed a change in the rain here?
  • Climate change is affecting rainfall patterns almost everywhere and can have a big impact on coffee farms. This question is a way to ask about climate change without using the words “climate change”. 

 

• How many times per year are you fertilizing? 
  • This question is about a few different things. What fertilizer is the producer using, and how much technical support are they getting? Additionally, when a producer is losing money, they might fertilize less, because fertilizer is expensive. So, this question can give you an idea of farm profitability. 

 

• How often are you stumping your coffee plants? 
  • This question can also give you an idea of how the producer is feeling about profitability. How producers manage stumping and re-planting is different everywhere, so it’s also an interesting thing to ask in different origins. 

 

• Will you re-plant any parts of your farm this year? If yes, what varieties will you plant and why? 
  • Once again, this question is actually kind of about the producer’s future expectations for yield and profitability. The reasons that a producer might or might not re-plant part of their farm can tell you a lot about the economic state of the farm. Which varieties they are planting and why is also interesting. 

 

• In general, is coffee farming on a farm of this size, in this region profitable? 
  • Some coffee producers are more forthcoming than others. If you have someone who is willing to talk about the economics, I like to just straight up ask about profitability.

Now you’ll be armed with some questions to ask next time you’re doing a farm visit and drawing a blank! If you have a favorite question to ask when you’re on a farm, send me a message and let me know what it is!  

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