Here’s the bit where you’ll usually find the standard coffee industry jargon.

“We work directly with Anita and her family to ensure farmers receive a fair wage.”

“We know the name of every producer.”

“Your coffee purchase is changing lives.”

Tick.
Tick.
Tick.

We’re not here for it.

At Surface, we’re all about being real. And that means telling you what we actually know not dressing coffee up with a load of feel-good stories because it helps sell a bag.

The reality is, 99.9% of the coffee industry doesn’t work the way the marketing would have you believe.

Importing coffee directly from individual farmers, paying them directly and managing every part of that supply chain is complicated, expensive and, for most roasters, simply not how the coffee trade works.

The majority of specialty coffee is bought and moved through established exporters and importers. There are some brilliant people doing incredible work within that system — and there are plenty of people talking absolute bollocks about it too.

So here are the facts about our coffee.

Is it traceable?
Yes. Our coffees are traceable back to the farm, producer and/or region, depending on the coffee.

Is it specialty coffee?
Yes.

Does it score 85+?
Yes. Our coffees meet a high specialty-grade standard.

Is it organic?
Yes, where stated and certified.

Is it hand harvested and sorted at source?
Yes.

Do we pay farmers directly?
No.

Do we know the names of every person who picked your coffee?
No. We know the producers and farm owners connected to the coffee we buy.

Do those farmers sit around waiting for a message from their favourite roaster in Cornwall?
Probably not.

And honestly, why should they?

Do you know the name of the person who grew the broccoli in your fridge?

The person who picked your carrots?

Exactly.

Coffee is a crop. It grows on a farm. It is harvested, processed, graded, traded, exported, imported, roasted and eventually ends up in your cup.

There’s nothing wrong with that.

What matters is what the coffee actually is and whether the people selling it to you are honest about where it came from.

We’re not going to tell you that buying a bag of Surface Coffee magically changes a farmer’s life.

We’re not going to pretend we have a personal relationship with every person involved in the supply chain.

And we’re definitely not going to make up a story about Anita and her family because it sounds good on a website.

What we can tell you is that we buy really fucking good coffee.

High-grade specialty coffee.
Traceable coffee.
Carefully harvested and sorted coffee.
Coffee we have spent years learning how to source, roast and brew properly.

We know what we’re doing.

And ultimately, that’s what we think you actually want to know.

Less bullshit. More facts. Better coffee.

Taste it yourself.

Then decide.