A global market that allows individuals and organizations to buy coffees as near-commodities and then sell them as differentiated, high valued-added products does not ensure adequate compensation for coffee producers, families, and communities. In many cases, specialty coffee producers do not receive enough revenue from coffee sales to cover production costs, let alone investments for their future.

Farmer support initiatives and coffee market interventions must work – directly and indirectly – to release the specialty market from its dependence on commodity price references, and its corresponding commodity orientation. Correlated multi-year, multi-stakeholder, and multi-country initiatives must focus on correcting a flawed market structure by simultaneously improving access to relevant information, updating irrelevant and damaging market mindsets, and developing relevant business capacity among producers.