Seb: Hello and welcome to Turning Point from Timely Coffees. My name is Seb. I'm one of the co-founders here and this is a video series that we use to talk about different things that are happening in the coffee industry and how we approach them at Timeline. So today we're going to be talking about an article that we wrote and released a couple of weeks ago called Power to the Consumer. And for anyone who hasn't read yet, the whole point of that article was to remind you as a consumer, that you have a really big part to play in supply chain. So the example that we use to was one of the producers that we're working with now and are planning to work with for many years to come named Sara Gutierrez. So Sara is someone that we talk to on a regular basis by video, call and text, and we quite often see, you know, videos of her farm. And we'll talk to her about things that she's finding really challenging right now as a coffee producer. So she is talking a lot about how climate change is affecting the flowering and the ripening of the coffee trees. She's talking a lot about how the social unrest in Colombia made it really challenging to get not only coffee out of the farm, but also supplies into the farm to make sure that she was processing at the right time. And when we are able to have these conversations and to hear about the aspirations as well of these producers, because Sara also is talking about how she's doing further education and and wants to learn more about processing and experimental techniques.

Seb: When we hear about these aspirations and challenges, we can make sure that we are paying the right price to the right people at the right time in a structure that works for everyone, us and them. And when we are able to talk to these people and actually ask them face to face, you know, is this price good for you? This gives us a completely different level of ability to make sure that the money that we're spending is going to the right place and we're doing as much good as we possibly can. But we need to understand as coffee roasters that we can only do this because of the customers and the consumers that we have. So I know that sometimes the coffee industry seems like this really big, complicated thing that no one can really change. But I think it's really important for you to remember that as a consumer you have more power than you realise. Every time you pick up a box of coffee or a bag of coffee and decide what you're going to be drinking, you are influencing the industry every time you pick up a box of coffee that says Sara Gutierrez on it. That means we get to buy more coffee from Sara Gutierrez. It does not happen unless you make the decisions that you do. If we don't have consumers that are looking for great coffee at a great price and who are willing to come back and buy that coffee every single year, then that really limits our ability to do the same for the producers.

Seb: And that is really how I see our role in supply chain. Our role is to make sure that we are representing coffee in a way that is respectful and honest. We are roasting it in a way that makes it delicious and easy for you to use. And we are supporting supply chains so those who have the most risk, like producers, actually also have the most control over their own reputation. Because quite often producers will sell a coffee to a roaster or to market and they actually work knowing where that coffee goes or they weren't knowing how that's being represented downstream. So for us, it's really important that those who are putting years of work into making this coffee, what it is, get represented as honestly and as fairly as possible. And the whole point of power to the consumer is to remind you that we couldn't do it without you. So never feel like you have no control. Never feel like you don't make a difference. Like we say a lot, it's the small decisions that we make that still have a big impact. So that's all we've got from Turning Point this week. We've got another video coming out next week. Ask Timely and if you've got any questions about this or anything else, make sure you send me an email at at Timely Coffees. That's it for now, and I'll see you next week.