What are farmers paid for--coffee cherries or beans?

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Black Gold Forums / FAQ / What are farmers paid for--coffee cherries or beans?

Author	Message
AnderwL Member	# Posted: 1 Sep 2008 20:37 Reply Hi friends, I read where farmers are paid the 1 - 3% of retail price. Is this the price of the actual coffee cherries they pick, or dry method beans or wet processed beans? I see one source stating that farmers get about 4 cents / pound and another source stating that growers get 60 - 80 cents / pound. Why the difference? Are the farmers the same as the growers? Are they getting paid for the same thing--cherries or beans? Does anybody have documented sources of data? Thanks all for your help.
Caitlin Member	# Posted: 9 Mar 2009 21:22 Reply Andrew, Your discrepancy (4 cents versus 60 cents) is based largely on whether the farmers own the processing facility or not. If they do not own the facility, they are paid for the coffee still in the cherry. If they own the facility, they skip that step in the supply chain and therefore earn the additional money. Documentation is difficult to come by, since the early stages of the supply chain vary from country to country, and even within countries. Best, CW

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