Ethical Sourcing Matters
Because good coffee shouldn't come at the cost of the people who grow it.
Our Mission
The Problem with the Coffee Industry
The global coffee supply chain is broken — and most people don’t even know it.
For every cup of coffee sold, the person who grew it often earns the least. Most smallholder farmers live below the poverty line, vulnerable to volatile prices, climate disruption, and exploitative middlemen. Even in specialty coffee, it’s common for roasters to buy through brokers and never meet the people behind the beans.
That disconnect is part of the problem. We’re here to help change that.
What Ethical Sourcing Means to Us
At Lost & Found Coffee, ethical sourcing isn’t a tagline — it’s our foundation. It means putting people before profit, relationships before convenience, and transparency before trend.
Here’s how we do it:
We Build Direct Relationships
We don’t buy coffee through brokers or co-ops. We build direct, long-term relationships with the farmers who grow it — people like Seilyn and Adolfo, whose daughter Camila dreams of engineering the machines her father needs to farm more sustainably.
We’ve walked their farms, tasted coffee side-by-side, and stayed in their homes. That’s how we ensure better-than-fair pricing, ethical practices, and genuine partnership — not just paperwork.
When you drink Lost & Found Coffee, you’re not guessing where your coffee came from. You know.
We Pay Better-Than-Fair Prices
We believe farmers should earn a living wage — not just cover their costs. That’s why we pay well above Fair Trade minimums, directly to the producer, with no middlemen taking a cut.
When a bag of our coffee sells, more of that money stays with the farmer who grew it. That’s how it should be.
We Prioritize Sustainability — From Soil to Shipment
Ethical coffee doesn’t just care for people — it cares for the planet.
We partner with farms that are:
- Organically grown or transitioning to organic
- Biodiverse and shade-grown
- Bee- and pollinator-friendly
- Actively conserving water and protecting wildlife habitats
From Costa Rica to Guatemala, we’ve seen firsthand how good stewardship leads to healthier soil, cleaner water, and better coffee.
We Invest in Future Generations
Many of the farmers we partner with are passing their land and knowledge on to their children.
That’s why we support:
- Women-led and family-run farms
- Educational access for farmer families
- Long-term contracts that offer financial stability
When Camila told us she wants to become an engineer to help her dad farm more sustainably — we knew we were in the right place.
Ethical Sourcing Is a Choice —
and It’s Up to All of Us
We can't change the entire coffee industry alone. But we can offer a better model — and invite others into it.
When you buy coffee from Lost & Found, you support real families, preserve real traditions, and help build a future where the people behind your coffee are never forgotten.
Drink coffee with a story.
Support coffee with a soul.
Join Us
Whether you’re a conscious coffee drinker, a business looking for better beans, or just someone tired of wondering where your money goes — we invite you in.
Let’s change coffee together.
