Ethical technology is now a trend in the coffee industry — seen as a key ally for social change. But in practice, it often ends up excluding the very coffee growers it claims to help.
How can a digital tool empower if it’s in a language its users don’t understand?
How can “fair technology” be justified if it ignores the voices of those who cultivate the coffee?
This article invites you to take a critical look at the use of technology in so-called fair and sustainable coffee projects. If we truly want to create digital tools for coffee growers, we must first listen to what they have to say.
Language: The First Barrier in Coffee Tech
Many “fair tech” platforms for coffee producers are available only in English. From traceability dashboards to mobile apps, the implicit message is clear: these tools weren’t designed for those in the fields, but for funders and consumers far removed from them.
Language becomes a silent yet powerful barrier to entry.
This isn’t just a translation problem — it’s a symptom of a structural gap. A technology that can’t be understood by the people it’s meant to benefit isn’t inclusive tech — it’s decorative tech.
And instead of empowering, it reduces the coffee grower to just another data point on a dashboard read by someone else.
Who Do These Digital Tools Really Serve?
Many so-called ethical tech projects in agriculture are shaped more by the requirements of international grants than by real local needs.
They prioritize metrics and sleek interfaces that appeal to funders, without checking if they actually improve coffee growers’ lives.
This leads to platforms packed with advanced features that no one really uses. Why? Because they weren’t designed in dialogue with the field. They’re made to show impact, not create it.
And so, technology becomes just another showcase — not a tool for real change.
Tech That Comforts the Consumer, but Doesn’t Empower the Producer
More and more consumers want ethical, traceable coffee. And many of these tools focus on showing that: scannable QR codes, tidy summaries, smiling photos of coffee farmers.
But here’s the question: Does the coffee grower have access to that story? Can they edit it? Do they own how their story is presented?
The focus is on soothing the buyer’s conscience — not on creating justice for the producer. What’s being sold is transparency, but too often, it’s just narrative. A narrative designed by others, for others.
Toward Truly Ethical Coffee Technology
Ethical tech for coffee growers must start with the basics: access, language, participation.
It’s not enough to include them in photos or reports. We must design with them, not for them.
We must share the code — not just the final product.
That’s the only way we can talk about real empowerment. Where coffee growers have control over their digital presence, over their stories, and over the tools they use to connect with the world.
Only then does technology stop being a pretty mirror — and become a key for real change.
At A Coffee & A Story, we work for technology that truly serves those who grow the coffee — that listens before creating, that doesn’t build tools just to feel good about spending grant money on an “ethical” cause.
Tech that speaks their language.
Tech that helps coffee growers directly.
Are you a coffee grower — or do you know one? Let’s talk!