Industry Sustainability

United Baristas is working to build a viable and vibrant coffee industry

The 2005 World Summit, held between 14 and 16 September 2005, was a follow-up summit meeting to the United Nations’ 2000 Millennium Summit, which had led to the Millennium Declaration of the Millennium Development Goals.

United Baristas wants the industry to succeed now – and over the long term

For the coffee industry to be sustainable we need to work to make it commercially viable, socially just and safeguard the environment.

To help achieve these objects we both to behave in a sustainable manner, educate and empower the coffee industry, and advocate for the interests of the industry.

Commercial Viability

United Baristas champions best practice for starting, building and running a viable coffee business. In 2019 we launched United Baristas Business to provide an easier way to start and grow a coffee business, and new opportunities to exit for existing proprietors.

Climate change

United Baristas Marketplace was founded with a vision to reduce the coffee industry’s environmental impacts through the better allocation of equipment. It’s since expanded to included the better procurement and maintenance of in United Baristas Workshop. In 2019, we offset the carbon emissions from the use of our services while we take time to calculate the reduced impacts from the use of these services.

In 2019 we commenced a project to better understand and communicate the coffee industry’s carbon footprint, from crop to cup. As the majority of carbon emissions come from the making and drinking of coffee, it falls to us to lower our impacts to ensure coffee ongoing survival of the crop and protect the livelihoods of farmers.

Careers and wellbeing

Following on from our 2017 Barista Life project, we launched United Baristas Jobs to provide better and clearer coffee jobs information and career progression within the industry. In 2020 we have relaunched Barista Life to explore health and wellbeing issues for people working in the coffee industry.

Coffee Farmers

United Baristas supports coffee farmers in need on financing through Kiva.