On our website, we repeatedly talk about values and the importance of respect, responsibility for the environment etc. for our society. The added value that they provide for consumers (and the general public) in the form of organic coffee. Logical, you might think, but obviously it’s not, as a conversation with a self-confessed Mount Hagen lover recently showed me.
foto: babette lichtenford
On our website, we repeatedly talk about values and the importance of respect, responsibility for the environment etc. for our society. The added value that they provide for consumers (and the general public) in the form of organic coffee. Logical, you might think, but obviously it’s not, as a conversation with a self-confessed Mount Hagen lover recently showed me.
foto: babette lichtenford
A friend told me over a coffee. It was preceded by an “Oh, I didn’t realize that…”, a “Really, that’s what you do?” when I told her about our Demeter coffee from Peru and its positive effects on the soil and biodiversity. And then some very important words followed: “Of course the price is justified, that is absolutely valuable.” Valuable. That’s right. Our organic coffees (like many other organic products) are a very tasty expression of our values. Since not everyone seems to know them: Here they come.
We spent a long time looking for the right vocabulary for values such as fairness, solidarity, responsibility, and reliability: Respect.
And that means: We stand for a resource-conserving approach to the environment. We promote soil quality, water retention, and biodiversity through organic and Demeter cultivation (“Demeter – Esoteric or meaningful?”). We protect nature from erosion and exploitation. And are certified according to the strict criteria of Naturland and Demeter. We pay fair wages and prices, and our coffees are also Fairtrade-certified.
We work on eye level with all our stakeholders, pre-finance some harvests, support the expansion of Demeter, support the development of infrastructure (schools, kindergartens) at our coffee farmers.
We have long, very friendly relationships with them and cultivate those far beyond business. Diversity and humanity are a matter of course for us.
We try to motivate our customers and coffee fans to live a more sustainable, “greener” life, so that we can all make the world a little better together.
That’s why we have this blog, for example, where we share ideas, news, reports, and interviews on topics that go far beyond the coffee cup to inspire people to be more conscious in their use of resources, food, energy, and the environment – to live a “green lifestyle”.
We take responsibility for our environment and regularly work together with the Zukunftsstiftung Landwirtschaft (in English: Future Foundation for Agriculture), support seed projects, local initiatives such as Recyclingheroes or Saatkultur (in English: seed culture). We are constantly trying to improve on as many levels as possible – For example with aluminum-free packaging or bee colonies on our company premises.
Probably one of the best-known corporate values of all. Marketing people say it is also one of the most boring. We see it differently.
We consider our coffees luxury goods (“Let’s talk quality”) and treat them with care. This applies not only to cultivation, but also to blending (the composition of the coffee blend, the blend) and roasting (“The taste of time – lots of time.”).
Mount Hagen is not a mainstream coffee. That’s why we only offer the finest organic Arabica coffees that can fully develop their character, aromas, and potential. Even if that means that one of our coffees is sold out. Quality. Not quantity. That is our aspiration.
It is actually the logical consequence of values such as respect. Transparency is our form of appreciation for, for example, our customers. We like to be in dialog with them – on this blog, on our social media channels, or via email. We communicate directly – not a chatbot, not a call center, not AI, but the people behind Mount Hagen. And we do so quickly, openly, and honestly.
These values are expressed in our organic coffees. Care, respect, fairness – you can taste, smell, and enjoy all of them. That is coffee for connoisseurs.
Let us know in the comments what you think about values and whether or not they represent added value for you beyond the product itself. We are very curious what you think.