Natur-positiv kaffe
Skifter du til Slow kaffe, sikrer du, at I ikke bidrager (ubevidst) til tropisk afskovning.
Slow sikrer kaffefarmerne en bedre indtægt, beskytter og genetablerer naturen og lokale økosystemer i Laos hvor kaffen produceres.
"Certificeret kaffe er ikke nødvendigvis lig med afskovningsfri kaffe."
- Institut for Fødevare- og Ressourceøkonomi Københavns Universitet
En ny undersøgelse fra Københavns Universitet viser at de kendte certificeringer, som Økologisk, FairTrade eller Rain Forest Alliance ikke sikrer mod afskovningsfri kaffe.
Slow har satellit overvågning af alle vores kaffefarmere gennem Farm Trace, samt besøger dem på ugentlig basis. På den måde sikre vi os mod afskovning og uhensigtgsmæssige forhold.
We increase, stabilize and diversify incomes of Slow Coffee Farmers, and reduce risks related to livelihoods and finances.
The life of a smallholder coffee farmer is unpredictable – due to volatile coffee prices, and especially when the coffee prices are low. Slow alleviates these problems by paying premium prices, balancing cash-flows by 40% payments six months in advance. In addition, we implement specific initiatives as requested by the farmers, such as establishing an emergency medical fund, and opening bank accounts and ID cards.
(Points addressed: 1.2, 1.4, 1.5)
Through coffee growing, provision of financial services and income diversification, we empower women farmers.
At Slow, women are decision-makers, and not just agents. 50% of our farmer network growth will come specifically from women farmers, to ensure inclusion. In addition, we provide diversified income activities targeted at them.
(Points addressed: 5.5, 5A)
Slow provides decent and inclusive micro-entrepreneurial jobs for coffee growers and their families and helps sustain a safe working environment.
We want to make growing coffee a decent, safe, and well-paying job for the farmers. We aim to improve workplace health and safety; for example, we installed wet-mill guards to cover moving parts, for all processing units.
(Points addressed: 8.5. 8.8)
Through coffee growing, we aim to increase incomes and resilience of people belonging to ethnic minority groups.
Slow includes ethnic minorities in our programme, who are often still at a disadvantage and discriminated against in Laos. We strive to grow our farmer network with ethnic minority farmers, to ensure inclusion. We listen to their needs and give voice to minorities.
(Point addressed: 10.2)
Slow ensures efficient and sustainable management of natural resources, and promotes safe disposal of wastes and wastewater
For example, we are in process of obtaining EU Organic certification, and are also implementing better wastewater management systems.
(Points addressed: 12.2, 12.4)
Through promotion of agroforestry and income diversification, Slow increases climate resilience of smallholder farmers in Laos.
Lao PDR is highly vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters, including extreme weather events which have been increasing in frequency and intensity. Slow promotes and implements agroforestry to increase climate resilience – with the smallholders who we work with. 96.2% of the coffee farms have a canopy cover of 8% or more, and the weighted average canopy cover is 32.5%, with an average of 377 trees per ha. We aim for 40% canopy cover in our farms with at least 12 different tree species per hectare. We also support income diversification to increase climate-change resilience.
(Point addressed: 13.1)
By implementing diverse coffee agroforestry, reduction of activities causing land degradation through improved livelihoods and selected reforestation activities – Slow regenerates and preserve forests, and combats land degradation.
Slow implements agroforestry based growing methods with smallholders. This in turn helps prevent soil degradation, deforestation and promotes maintenance of ecosystems services. In addition, our program also prevents deforestation indirectly: through the provision of a stable and improved livelihood with agroforestry coffee, smallholders can now reduce activities that cause deforestation and land degradation elsewhere – e.g., shifting cultivation or conversion of forest areas and agroforestry coffee to monoculture crops such as cassava. We also plan to purchase patches of degraded land in ecologically strategic areas and regenerate them to natural state.
(Points addressed: 15.1, 15.2, 15.3)
Big changes can only be achieved together –
Slow unites multiple stakeholders towards a common goal of conserving and regenerating forests.
(Points addressed: 17.16, 17.7)
CONSERVING FORESTS,
PRESERVING BIODIVERSITY
Slow coffee is grown under the gentle shade trees (‘agroforest’), fighting against deforestation and preserving our biodiversity.
BETTER LIVELIHOODS
We create true partnerships with the Slow coffee grower families; increasing incomes, reducing risk and creating transparency by working together on the ground - all year round!
ARTISAN COFFEE
We at Slow pride ourselves in providing artisan-grade, specialty coffee to you, your customers and employees – Roasted to suit the Nordic taste in a micro-roastery in Denmark.
