Fresh Cup: Torque Coffee’s New Proportional Pricing Model Ensures Equity
From FreshCup Magazine
The coffee industry is mired in opaque pricing structures, especially the further away consumers get from the cup in their hand. The world of paying farmers seems shadowy and distant from the perspective of an aesthetically-decorated cafe in the United States. Wife and husband team Nanelle and Andy Newbom are trying to change that with their new roasting company, Torque Coffee. Founded in San Diego, California, Torque is exploring a new pricing model called Proportional Pricing.
Andy Newbom, who helped found the Barista Guild in 2003, has long been searching for better ways to pay farmers and get consumers on board. With Proportional Pricing, “we hope to change the entire value equation of specialty coffee,” Andy Newbom explained. “All of us in specialty coffee agree that coffee producers are valuable, but we haven’t agreed on how to assign that value, who assigns it, or how to convey it through the supply chain.”
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