Promoting Fairtrade Coffee from Asia Pacific region at the World of Coffee Brussels 2026
Five Fairtrade certified Producer Organizations from India joined Fairtrade NAPP at one of the world's leading specialty coffee exhibitions, held in Brussels, Belgium, from 25 to 27 June 2026, meeting European buyers, presenting nine coffees from the region and carrying the voice of smallholder farmers into the living income conversation.
A Seat at Europe's Biggest Coffee Table
World of Coffee Brussels 2026 is one of the world's leading trade exhibitions for the specialty coffee sector, bringing together producers, traders, roasters, importers and retailers from across the global coffee value chain. Fairtrade NAPP joined the event with eight representatives from five Fairtrade certified Producer Organizations from India: Forum for Fairtrade Organic Agri Betterment, Hirehadlu Farmer Producer Company, Manarcadu Social Service Society, Empower Coffee Areas Wayanad and Wayanad Organic Society, with one organization’s participation supported through NAPP sponsorship.
The delegation worked from the Fairtrade International booth shared with the International Trade Centre and staffed alongside colleagues from the producer networks CLAC and Fairtrade Africa and from Fairtrade Belgium, Fairtrade Germany, Fairtrade Netherlands, Fairtrade Switzerland and Fairtrade International. From that shared platform, three days of meetings, cuppings and panel discussions produced outcomes that the Organizations carried home with them.
Direct Sourcing on the Table, Samples on the Way
The most tangible business outcome came from the one-on-one buyer meetings arranged during the exhibition. Officials at the German fairtrade company GEPA, met four of the Organizations individually, Manarcadu Social Service Society, Forum for Fairtrade Organic Agri Betterment, Hirehadlu Farmer Producer Company and Wayanad Organic Society, to discuss the possibility of direct sourcing. Commercial details were shared in each meeting, and GEPA requested sample shipments from all four Organizations.
Coffee Team, meeting with Forum for Fairtrade Organic Agri Betterment, also requested samples, while Solidar Monde explored available products and supply chain arrangements with Empower Coffee Areas Wayanad. For smallholder farmer Organizations, conversations like this matter: direct sourcing relationships can shorten the supply chain and open the way to fairer terms, and a sample request is the first concrete step on that road.
Meeting between MASS and GEPA
Meeting between FFOAB and GEPA
Nine Coffees Under the Spoon, and the Cuppers Took Notes
On the second day of the exhibition, the Fairtrade International booth hosted a dedicated cupping of nine coffees from the NAPP region, sourced from India, Lao PDR and Indonesia and covering both Arabica and Robusta varieties across natural, washed, wet-hulled and fermented processing methods. Buyers, roasters and traders tasted the coffees and recorded their impressions through a structured feedback form.
The responses gave the Organizations plenty to be proud of. Djanga Therry of Terrific Coffee, Cameroon, described the anaerobic fermented coffee from Forum for Fairtrade Organic Agri Betterment as very well balanced, with intense fruity notes and pleasant floral aromas that make you want a second sip. Cecilia Sanama, a quality consultant with Fairtrade International from Brazil, found Hirehadlu Farmer Producer Company's washed Robusta very clean, with good sweetness and expressive dark chocolate notes well suited for espresso. Coffees from CPC Cooperative in Lao PDR and Permata Gayo Cooperative in Indonesia drew praise for their aroma, fruity notes and quality of fermentation.
Just as valuable as the compliments were the pointers. The completed feedback forms give each organization professional cupping notes from buyers across three continents, showing exactly which qualities to highlight when marketing their coffee and where refinements in areas such as body and extraction could lift their scores further. It is a practical quality roadmap that few smallholder Organizations get the chance to collect in a single afternoon.
Wayanad's Voice in Europe's Living Income Debate
The delegation's reach extended well beyond the trade floor. At the side event- Living Income in Coffee: From Policy to Practice, organized on 26 June by the Fair Trade Advocacy Office and the International Coffee Organization, Sathyanath Inchora of Empower Coffee Areas Wayanad joined producer representatives from CLAC and Fairtrade Africa on the panel, sharing the perspectives and experiences of smallholder coffee farmers in India. The discussion focused on approaches for assessing living income gaps and the context-specific challenges of achieving living incomes in coffee-producing communities, before an audience that included representatives of the European Commission, the International Coffee Organization, the European Coffee Federation, GIZ and the International Trade Centre.
A day earlier, at the Fairtrade Morning Brew hosted by Fairtrade Belgium at the Atomium, Akhil Nassim, Deputy Program Manager for South India and Co-lead for Coffee at Fairtrade NAPP, presented NAPP's work with coffee Producer Organizations across Asia and the Pacific to Fairtrade business partners and colleagues from across the Fairtrade system. The programme concluded with the Fairtrade Frontrunners Awards 2026, recognizing businesses for their commitment to Fairtrade. Together, the two events put the realities of Asia-Pacific coffee farming directly in front of the people who shape policy and markets.
NAPP’s Presentation at Fairtrade Morning Brew side event
NAPP Producer at ‘Living Income in Coffee: Policy to Practice side Event
Voices from Brussels
"I sincerely thank Fairtrade NAPP for the incredible support and guidance throughout my participation at World of Coffee Brussels. The opportunity to attend the event and connect with genuine buyers and industry professionals was invaluable. With NAPP's support, I was able to build meaningful business contacts, and I am optimistic that these connections will translate into long-term business opportunities. I truly appreciate all the assistance provided and look forward to participating in more such initiatives in the future."
- Akhil Paul Thomas, Forum for Fairtrade Organic Agri Betterment, India
The Road from Brussels
The exhibition closed on 27 June, but the work it opened is under way. The participating Organizations are preparing coffee samples for shipment to GEPA and Coffee Team, the first step in the direct sourcing discussions started in Brussels. Planning continues with Fairtrade Austria for the Julius Meinl team's visit to India, and NAPP's regional teams are following up with Celegusto and Kape Kapi on their interest in Fairtrade certification.
