The coffee industry is built on the commodity market, with prices set by people who have no connection to the people who actually grow it. It's seen as a "commodity," with middlemen trading it on the stock market. Faceless, often corrupt trade, with no regard for the growers in places like Uganda.

90% of coffee is traded on price alone. We don’t think that was good enough and believe we can do better.

A lot of brands use the words "direct trade" like a badge. For us, its the whole reason we are here. To connect the two worlds through trade

• We pay well above the commodity rate. Not the market minimum. Not the fair trade floor. A price we've agreed directly with the growers we work with, based on what it actually costs to grow good coffee and live well doing it.
• These are long-term relationships, not one-off contracts. We've been buying from the same communities in Kanungu and Mt Elgon region since our first container landed in 2018. Long enough to know names, seasons, and what's actually needed.
• We established a fund for growers Coffee growers harvest once a year. Our off-season fund exists for the months in between, when growers still have families to feed and no crop coming in.

Direct trade is the most complex part of what we do. It's also the whole reason we're here.

Direct trade isn't a marketing line for us. It's the reason Mt Atkinson exists. When you buy a bag, you're not just buying coffee, you're transforming families in Uganda, in ways you might never fully see.