Netherlands – Ali Azakary | Qahwa World
On May 4, the European Commission published its “simplification” package for the Deforestation Regulation. Some saw it as genuine relief. Others called it cosmetic.
Qahwa World concludes its interview series with industry experts. After Dr. Steffen Schwarz, Kim Thompson, Burke Campbell, John Seroney, and Michael Trung, our sixth and final guest is Fabricio Scocco Fioravante, founder of Takumi Collective in the Netherlands.
Fabricio is a specialty coffee importer and roaster who works directly with smallholder producers in Latin America and Africa. He represents the voice of the European importer dealing with micro-lots and direct trade relationships, offering a different perspective from his more critical counterparts.
Here is what he said.
- What is your overall take on the EU simplification decision? Does it truly reduce the burden, or is it mostly cosmetic?
Fabricio Scocco Fioravante: I think it’s a step in the right direction, but honestly, it’s incremental progress on a regulation that was already overdue for recalibration.
The burden reduction for small operators is real and welcome. But the structural complexity hasn’t disappeared. For those of us working with micro-lot and direct-trade supply chains, traceability was already part of how we operate. The issue was never the principle. It was the bureaucratic weight that falls unevenly across the chain.
- Who benefits the most from this simplification in your opinion?
Fabricio Scocco Fioravante: Interestingly, large companies with compliance infrastructure absorb this more easily than anyone else. Small independent roasters and importers like us still face disproportionate administrative overhead relative to our volume.
The biggest real-world benefit goes to low-risk country exporters and small producers who now have clearer, lighter obligations. That part I genuinely welcome.
- Soluble coffee is now fully covered, after being excluded before. How do you see this affecting coffee traders and roasters worldwide?
Fabricio Scocco Fioravante: This closes a loophole that was always philosophically inconsistent. If the regulation is about deforestation risk in the supply chain, soluble coffee was never exempt from that risk. It was just exempt from the paperwork.
Including it levels the playing field and forces industrial processors to operate under the same traceability logic that specialty roasters were already working towards. Long overdue.
- Is the global coffee supply chain truly ready for the December 30, 2026 deadline? If not, which part of the industry will take the biggest hit?
Fabricio Scocco Fioravante: No, not fully. The geolocation requirement is technically sound but practically uneven.
In well-organized origins like Colombia or parts of Ethiopia, this is manageable. In fragmented smallholder landscapes – certain regions of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, parts of Asia – plot-level geolocation is still a serious challenge.
The part of the industry that will take the biggest hit is mid-tier importers working with aggregated lots from complex origins who don’t have direct farm relationships. Direct-trade and specialty channels are better positioned, but even we feel the pressure.
Qahwa World – With this, we conclude our six-part interview series. Thank you for following.
Read the related stories:
Michael Trung: EUDR Simplification Offers No Real Value – Just a Compliance Tax
John Seroney: The Real Cost is Farm Mapping and Digital Registration
Kim Thompson: Sustainability Rules Must Not Punish the Producers Who Need Market Access Most
Dr. Steffen Schwarz: EUDR Simplification Remains an Administrative Monster
EUDR Simplification: Six Voices from the Coffee Industry Speak
European Commission Simplifies Deforestation Regulation.. What’s New?
