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Violeta Stevens

Managing director of Union Hand-Roasted Coffee

Aug 21, 2026

7:11
What would you say are those real barriers that we're facing?
7:15
I believe that the biggest barrier is the disconnect between where value is created and where value is captured.
7:24
And we know that the coffee industry or coffee is largely produced by smallholder farmers who face increasing climate risks, rising production costs, volatile prices, yet they often receive only a small share of the value which has been generated through the supply chain, or historically, that's been the case, for sure.
7:47
And at the same time, again, historically, sustainability has been treated as a separate program or the team in the corner rather than being embedded into the business models and into the purchasing decisions.
8:03
So if we want sustainable coffee production, we need business models that reward long-term investment in farms, in people, landscapes, rather than just focusing on the short-term costs, short-term efficiencies, short-term profitability.
8:20
We have to take the long-term view.
8:35
What about environmental?
8:37
Absolutely.

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