At Courtyard Coffee we feel passionately about conserving the natural environment and paying growers and workers a fair wage. Here are some of the actions we take towards making this a reality.
Our Ethos
Our business does not use the volume of product, or have the resources of time, to buy directly from the growers. Accordingly, we like to buy through importers with ethical attitudes, from having boots on the ground in the country of origin, with people who can help the growers to thrive, from agri-economic help and advice on flavour improvements, through to paying a higher price for the coffee than small growers might achieve from larger, multi-national buyers.
Price and supply transparency in the industry is becoming much more prevalent now, and we look for evidence that our suppliers are also committed to this aim.
Palm Oil
The European Union have issued a register of agricultural, forestry and coffee industry actors – The EUDR – European Union Deforestation Regulations . Growers, exporters and importers must comply with these requirements. The task is complex, and will take some time to enact. The COP 30 Conference, in Brazil -November 2025 will give member states a chance to discuss the matter.
Coffees from Brazil
Please note we are no longer roasting coffee from Brazil, as we oppose the policy of selling off large acreages of the Amazon Rainforest, Cerrado and Pantanal for deforestation and change to large scale commercial agricultural uses. The impact on the lives of Indigenous Peoples, the unique Wildlife and Carbon Release contributing to Climate Change are a serious threat to all the World. We carry stock from several other Central American countries as alternatives.
EUDR Statement
Where possible we try to avoid using products that contain palm oil due to their impact on deforestation and sustainability. Owing to recent severe weather in the Winter of 2025 Sumatra, Indonesia suffered catastrophic damage through heavy rain, flooding, walls of mud destroying infrastructure. The entire coffee growing economy in the Eceh region has been impacted and will take some years to fully re-establish. This is the reason that our Indonesian coffee now comes from other Indonesian islands.
*enrobed chocolate products are currently the only exception to this for which we are exploring alternatives.
Recycling
We feel passionately about recycling, and making sustainable choices. All of our 250g bags are now fully recyclable and can be put in your paper recycling bin.
If you struggle with slugs and snails snacking on your plants you can recycle your coffee grounds and protect your blooms by putting a barrier around the base of your plants without harming any bugs.
