Wholesale partnership: our guide

By Bobby Pinto

Published: June 20th, 2024

Welcome to Naughty Bean, where we are as passionate about brewing the perfect cup as you are about serving it. Established by our founder, Bobby, Naughty Bean was born out of a genuine love for coffee and a desire to revolutionise the coffee experience in cafes across the UK. Dissatisfied with the mediocre cups of coffee he encountered, Bobby set out to raise the bar. His vision was simple yet ambitious: empower businesses to serve exceptional coffee that transcends mere convenience and becomes a memorable experience for every customer.

About Us

Operating from the heart of Sudbury, Suffolk, Naughty Bean has grown into a leading independent specialty coffee roaster serving the whole of the UK. We pride ourselves on our straight-talking, honest, and fun approach to business and coffee. Our team is dedicated to providing more than just coffee beans; we offer a comprehensive service that includes state-of-the-art equipment and expert training, designed to equip our wholesale partners with everything they need from the inception of their business through to growth and scaling.

Our mission at Naughty Bean is clear: to empower businesses to serve better coffee. We achieve this by not only supplying the finest quality beans but also by ensuring that you have access to the best brewing equipment and training available. We believe that great coffee is a craft that can be perfected with the right knowledge and tools. To this end, we offer tailored training sessions conducted by our experienced baristas who share the same passion and commitment to coffee excellence as Bobby does.

What We Do

At Naught Bean, we understand that our success is directly linked to yours. That's why we are committed to supporting you at every stage of your business journey. Whether you are just starting out or looking to expand, we provide the guidance and resources needed to enhance your offerings and delight your customers with every cup.

Coffee Bean Supply

We supply meticulously roasted, specialty coffee beans sourced from the finest growers around the world, ensuring each batch meets our high standards for extraordinary flavour and quality.

White Label Roasting

Create your very own blend or have our blends packaged to match your branding

Training

Empowering your staff with the knowledge and skills needed to consistently craft exceptional coffee experiences.

Equipment

From startup essentials to advanced upgrades, Naughty Bean advises and supplies the latest in coffee brewing equipment, tailored to enhance your café's operational efficiency and coffee quality.

Speciality Coffee

Speciality coffee represents the highest tier of coffee beans, distinguished by its meticulous cultivation, selective harvesting, and expert processing in the world’s best coffee-growing regions. Unlike commercial blends, speciality coffee focuses on unique characteristics from single origins or carefully crafted blends that highlight subtle flavour nuances.

In the speciality coffee industry, beans must meet rigorous standards and score 80 or above on a 100-point scale to qualify. This detailed attention continues through sustainable farming and precise roasting techniques, enhancing each batch's unique attributes.

Consumers enjoy a richer, more complex flavour with speciality coffee, offering an experience that celebrates the bean’s diverse and intricate tastes, achieved through perfection at every production stage.

WHOLESALE COFFEE PARTNERSHIP

Why Speciality Over Commodity?

Speciality coffee comes at a higher price than commercial grade commodity coffee and for good reason.

Fair Compensation

Farmers growing speciality coffee typically receive higher prices for their crops compared to those growing commodity coffee, helping to improve their standard of living.

Environmentally Sustainable

Speciality coffee often comes from farms practicing sustainable agriculture that minimises environmental impact and promotes biodiversity.

Superior Flavour

With its focus on quality and unique flavour profiles, speciality coffee offers a richer and more diverse taste experience than commodity coffee.

Support For Small Business's

Purchasing speciality coffee often supports small, independent roasters and coffee shops, contributing to local economies.

Certifications: What Do They Really Mean?

Coffee certifications such as Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance are designed to promote sustainable practices and fair compensation within the coffee industry. Fair Trade certification aims to ensure that farmers receive a minimum price for their coffee, along with additional premiums to invest in community projects. Rainforest Alliance certification focuses on environmental sustainability, conserving biodiversity, and ensuring sustainable livelihoods.

However, these certifications are not as common in the speciality coffee market. Speciality coffee typically exceeds the standards set by these programmes, focusing intensely on quality, ethical sourcing, and direct relationships with farmers. Because speciality coffee buyers often pay well above the market price—far exceeding Fair Trade minimums—these certifications can be redundant and unnecessary for high-end producers who are already achieving better results independently.

Moreover, obtaining these certifications can be costly for farmers. The process involves not just initial fees, but also ongoing costs to maintain the standards required for certification. For small-scale producers, these expenses can represent a significant burden, potentially offsetting the financial benefits.

Additionally, while certifications are intended to encourage good practices, they can sometimes serve as a veneer that justifies poor practices. Some critics argue that the presence of a label like Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance can lead consumers to overlook deeper issues within supply chains, such as the underlying economic conditions that continue to disadvantage small farmers. Therefore, in the speciality coffee sector, direct trade relationships that offer transparency and traceability are often viewed as more effective in promoting sustainability and equity than formal certifications.

Fair Trade certification does not necessarily guarantee superior quality or ethical practices, as speciality coffee often surpasses these standards through direct, transparent relationships with farmers.

How We Source

At Naughty Bean, we are committed to sourcing our beans ethically and responsibly. We partner with a select group of speciality coffee importers who maintain direct relationships with coffee farmers around the world. These importers are not just suppliers; they are vital collaborators in our mission to deliver exceptional coffee.

These speciality importers operate with a strong ethical framework, focusing on fair practices that ensure farmers receive a fair price for their crops. This financial stability allows coffee growers to reinvest in their operations, fostering sustainable agricultural methods and improving both the quality of life for their communities and the quality of the beans they produce.

Moreover, our importers are deeply involved in the development of the farms they work with, contributing resources and knowledge to help enhance farming practices. This hands-on approach not only leads to better coffee but also promotes an environmentally friendly approach to agriculture. By supporting these ethical importers, Naughty Bean helps to sustain the high standards of specialty coffee production and ensures that every cup you pour supports a better future for coffee communities across the globe

Our Coffee

We proudly supply businesses with our house espresso blend, 'Straight Talker', and offer an exciting guest espresso blend, 'The Gospel', alongside an exciting decaf option and a rotating selection of single origin coffees throughout the year, each with its own unique profile and origin story.

Delivery & Packaging

We use code 4 recyclable pouches to package our coffee in 1kg wholesale and 250g retail bags. Local deliveries have the option of using 2kg reusable tubs to reduce the environmental impact if they wish.

Let's get stuck in with the locals and dive deep into the world of coffee right here in Suffolk. We're not just about roasting beans; it's about creating a buzz and bringing everyone together for a good old chinwag over a cuppa. Think of it as your invitation to join the coolest club around – where the coffee is always hot and the company's even hotter.

WHOLESALE COFFEE PARTNERSHIP

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