Announcing the Finalists for the 2024 SCA Sustainability Awards
The Specialty Coffee Association is proud to announce the finalists for the 2024 Sustainability Awards, recognizing excellence in sustainability across the industry.
The 2024 Sustainability Awards are a way to celebrate for-profit and non-profit companies that showcase innovation, collaboration, and positive impact across the entire coffee value chain.
The companies, organizations, projects, and people receiving these awards have not only dedicated themselves to confronting the enormous challenges facing the specialty coffee industry—from climate change to gender inequality—but also to collaborating across geographies, cultures, and value chain roles, and to sharing the lessons they have learned for the benefit of the entire coffee sector.
A committee comprised of SCA staff has selected the finalists in each award category after receiving an overwhelming amount of submissions. Previous SCA Sustainability Award winners will now help select the winner in each category. Winners will be announced on SCA channels in late-March 2024, and recognized at Specialty Coffee Expo in April and World of Coffee Copenhagen this June.
The 2024 Sustainability Awards are generously supported by TricorBraun Flex.
2024 Sustainability Award Finalists
FOR-PROFIT
REBUILD WOMENS HOPE COOPERATIVE
Rebuild Women’s Hope is a cooperative led by women coffee farmers located on the large, remote island of Idjwi in Lake Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our mission is to produce specialty quality coffee whilst empowering women and raising the standard of living of our members.
For generations, farmers on Idjwi have largely depended on the coffee they grow. But before Rebuild Women’s Hope (RWH) was founded they had no way of processing their coffee to a high standard and nowhere to sell it apart from to smugglers, who took it across the lake to nearby Rwanda.
While women in Congo do much of the labor involved in growing and harvesting coffee on their family farms, traditionally it is their husbands who are in charge when it comes to selling the produce and making business decisions. The contribution of women is largely not recognized in society and women are widely seen as being incapable of dignified work that contributes to the needs of their families and communities.
In 2013, Marcelline Budza founded RWH. Inspired by her own mother’s resilience while bringing up her four daughters alone, she set out to find practical ways to transform the lives of Congolese women in rural communities.
At RWH, women are at the center of decision-making. We work to create a spirit of entrepreneurship and self-management among our women members in order to raise the standard of living in our communities. We believe that a community where women are empowered is a thriving community.
Rebuild Women’s Hope Cooperative (RWH) is largely made up of women, and has had a significant positive impact on their lives through enabling them to achieve economic independence and making decisions. Bringing together women to collaborate, to be instrumental in decision making, has engendered a spirit of entrepreneurship and empowerment. This model of empowerment and autonomy for women, who now control the family income has a direct and significant positive impact on the life of the whole family, raising living standards of households and having a ripple effect on the wider community. RWH’s focus on women is driven by the often-studied fact that investments in the economic independence of women lead to healthy families and strong communities.
In just nine years, RWH has shown the value of such investments by creating a broad range of positive, lasting changes within the communities of Idjwi Island, including˸
- More than 35056 coffee women had been Improved their position of women in socio-economic life and the daily labour is estimated at USD 480 Per person per daily labourer
- 200 coffee women were trained in the Promotion of female leadership in the community.
- 1526 coffee women have benefited from the training in the Creation of small income-generating activities for women and girls in all walks of life
- 200 women were trained in the Contribution of women and young men in restoring peace in their community
- 15% of the violence has been significantly reduced in cases of gender-based violence in coffee community,
- Reduction of the death rate among coffee women and children through provision of maternal and pediatric health care which: facilitated the birth of 621 children,treatment of 4101 out patients and 1984 in patients suffering from various diseases such as malaria,infection,anemia etc
- Birth of new villages and significant growth of other villages driven by new economic activities – coffee farming and processing
Black Baza Coffee Co.
Black Baza Coffee Co. (shortlisted as a finalist for the 2022 & 2023 SCAA Sustainability Awards) was founded by Dr Arshiya Bose, an Indian conservationist and human geographer who completed her PhD on the political ecology of coffee production and certifications from the Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, UK. After over a decade of carrying out academic research and numerous peer-reviewed publications on sustainability and coffee, Arshiya decided to change directions from research to on-ground action. She says her inflection point was a conversation with an 80-year-old coffee grower in Kodagu, India. This wise lady asked if anything useful would come out of a PhD and in that moment Arshiya knew that an academic career, however prestigious the institution, would not be sufficient. Arshiya founded Black Baza Coffee Co. with the mission to enable smallholder coffee growers to enjoy secure and stable livelihoods and to empower them to conserve biodiversity and local ecosystems on coffee farms.
This unique organisation aims to use markets to drive positive social and ecological change in the Global South. Black Baza has been working in India, with over 650+ smallholder coffee producers to strengthen livelihood security as well as regenerative agriculture. Black Baza's key objectives include eliminating poverty and cycles of debt amongst smallholder communities in South Asia. Black Baza. Over a period of 7 years, Black Baza has been able to work to reduce debt from over 95% of its partner producers to 33% of its partner producers.
Another key objective of Black Baza's has been to build capacities of smallholder producers in climate-resilient farming. This is carried out through Farmer Climate Schools, which aim to train smallholder producers in climate adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity-friendly farming and ecological and climate data monitoring. The Farmer Climate Schools are a fantastic way that growers themselves have started monitoring climate data, such as rainfall, pest and disease outbreaks and native vegetation cycles as a way to predict and model productivity and thus strengthen adaptation measures.
The organisation invests resources, time, and manpower in grassroots action and participatory research with coffee growers, most of whom are marginalised indigenous communities. The organisation leads pathbreaking research into co-creating bottom-up farming practices for regenerative agriculture that go beyond any conventional certification. The biodiversity-friendly farming practice champions vulnerable smallholder growers and indigenous communities who have been co-existing with wildlife in the forest for millennia and strengthens their farming practices such that they might resist pressures to intensify.
Black Baza is certified Fair Trade, but uses a beyond Fair Trade approach to guarantee a buy-back of coffee at much higher than available Fair Trade and market prices and uses all sales to reinvest in the community’s capacity building, quality improvement and good governance of producer institutions.
Black Baza is also a specialty coffee roastery based out of Bangalore, India.
Fazenda Três Meninas
Fazenda Três Meninas (The Three Girls Farm) is more than just a coffee-producing farm; it is a center for technology development and knowledge dissemination. We believe that knowledge should be shared, as the journey is individual, but progress is collective.
The farm advocates and practices gender equality, even in its name, which pays homage to the women in the family. The farm is managed by the couple Paula and Marcelo. Marcelo is an agronomist, and Paula is a zootechnician.
We have two strong purposes: to produce specialty coffees that positively impact the environment and society, and to generate, apply, and disseminate knowledge.
All actions on the farm are science-based, leading to various partnerships with research institutions, universities, and consultants.
Fazenda Três Meninas (The Three Girls Farm) is located in the Cerrado Mineiro region, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, at an altitude of 1,050 meters above sea level.
We plan and execute farm work systematically and holistically, integrating the farm into the landscape. We bring nature into the productive area with science, hence one of the farm's mottos is ""Nature is our partner.""
We aim to create a resilient coffee production, and the best way to achieve this is by increasing biodiversity. Therefore, we work with a wide variety of cover crops alongside coffee throughout the year and also practice agroforestry. This way, we enhance biodiversity, and the environment becomes more balanced and resilient, relying less on chemical inputs.
All this work has resulted in various certifications and interesting outcomes, such as Rainforest Certification, Regenerative Agriculture Certification (regenagri), Negative Carbon (Imaflora), and Low Carbon (Preferred by Nature).
In 2023, we were awarded the title of the best sustainable farm in Brazil for the last 10 years by Nespresso. We won as the most sustainable medium-sized farm in Brazil through the ""Planeta Campo"" program. Paula received the Woman in Agriculture award in the small property category.
An example of the impact of Fazenda Três Meninas’s work is that in 2023, we received a visit from the global CEO of Nespresso (Guillaume Le Cunff) and the global CEO of Nestle (Mark Schneider) to learn about our sustainable practices.
Another important indicator is the increased water availability resulting from our management. Even during the worst drought of the century, our water spring maintained the same flow. This spring supplies water to a municipality with over 7,000 inhabitants.
We have planted more than 11,500 trees and shrubs on the property, averaging approximately 200 trees/shrubs per hectare.
In other words, the farm produces coffee while generating a positive impact on the environment and society, as proven. We sequester more carbon than we emit, produce water, increase biodiversity, and combat global warming.
The farm collaborates with universities and hosts hundreds of students for practical lessons on the farm.
This is admirable profit! The more we produce, the more positive impact we gain.
With our work, we have been able to assist thousands of people, including coffee farmers, students, and inhabitants of our planet. The dissemination of knowledge knows no boundaries.
@fazenda_tresmeninas_coffeefarm
Neighbors & Crops
The program is designed to offer the neighboring coffee-growing families various different benefits (monetary and non-monetary) that help us incentivize them to become an active part of this industry and to revitalize the coffee-growing culture in their region.
Sancoffee
Sancoffee is an independent B-corp certified specialty coffee cooperative from Campo das Vertentes, Minas Gerais, Brazil with a strong focus on direct relationships and ESG initiatives. The cooperative unites 20 farms from the region and provides support to 350 non-member smaller farms from the region. The organization believes that specialty coffee can be an effective way to improve people's lives and to preserve and protect the environment. Therefore, Sancoffee’s mission is to cultivate relationships, harvest trust and promote prosperity. The vision is to be a platform for continuous evolution in the specialty coffee chain. The UN Sustainable Development Goals framework guides the cooperative in their journey towards a more sustainable and prosperous community.
Sancoffee runs a Sustainability Fund that sponsors social and environmental projects under the scope of the Impact Committee. The projects include: female empowerment initiative, development program for non-members small producers, educational programs, community support (eg. renovation of childcare facilities), long-term support of recovery of degraded areas, carbon footprint reduction. The fund is maintained by 10% of Sancoffee's annual surplus, clients' donations, and producer support.
Amavida Coffee and Trading Company
Imagine a coffee industry that provides dignifying wages to farmers, generates net-zero impact on our environment, and paves a way for local communities to thrive. This is our dream at Amavida. We believe to achieve this, we must give equal attention to impact at all levels of our businesses - from the coffee producers we empower to the communities we serve, all with the environment in mind. We are certain that more ethical and sustainable trade is essential for the continuation of the specialty coffee industry. We believe the pursuit of exceptional coffee is one of the most powerful ways to spark positive change.
Since Amavida was created in 2004, we’ve aspired to improve the lives of coffee producers and contribute to sustainable community development across the globe. From our family run coffee roaster and distribution center in Florida, we import, roast and serve organic and fair-trade specialty coffee and tea products. We also operate 3 cafes, a bakery, and a donut truck, all located in new urbanist and historic communities like Seaside, Rosemary Beach, Historic St Andrews, and DeFuniak Springs. Amavida has recently expanded it’s distribution by opening a 2nd warehouse in Birmingham, Alabama.
It’s a daily devotion to minimize environmental impact, both at home and abroad. We work to offset 100% of the impact we can’t avoid with sustainable partnerships that keep our planet clean and beautiful.
- 100% Carbon Responsible (since 2017) and Plastic Neutral (since 2020) across the entire Amavida operation
- Primarily sourcing Certified Fair Trade and Organic coffees, and encouraging sustainable and regenerative agriculture at partner farms for coffee. We hold similar standards for all other agricultural product offerings and ingredients
- Offsetting our electric energy usage (since 2015), powering our primary headquarters 100% with on-site solar (2021-2022), and investing in electric vehicles and charging stations for our fleet (2022)
- Collaborating with customers and suppliers toward net zero impact
- Hosting zero waste events in our communities. In 2023, Amavida donated compostable products and facilitated compost and recycling collection for multiple, first of their kind, “Zero Waste Events” in AL. These events were hosted in partnership with organizations like Birmingham Southern University (Darter Festival) and Food+.
- Devotion to responsible waste management, including partnering with regenerative farmers in our region who reuse compostables (from packaging to food scraps and coffee grounds or chaff), donating recyclables which can be reused or help raise funds for nonprofits, like Grace Klein Foundation. We also reserve cardboard, newspapers and similar for recycling keeping them out of landfills.
- In 2023, we focused on reducing water consumption and protecting our waterways. For the past few years, we have been monitoring usage at our headquarters in collaboration with our local utility provider and receive notices when flow rates are beyond acceptable limits. At all of our locations we take a proactive path by using equipment and processes to integrate this thinking deeper into our culture. This includes high efficiency dishwashers, low flow faucets, and having water conservation measures built into our daily quality checklist. We are also focusing on the impact of water in the products we offer. We are beginning to distribute water from Proud Source, a fellow B Corp, who sustainably sources their water, uses sustainable packaging, and is local to our area (Marianna, FL).
Untapped opportunities to create a more fair and ethical coffee supply chain are everywhere. As a founding member of Cooperative Coffees, an impact-driven sourcing group, we’re able to explore new ways of partnering with farmers that produce higher quality flavors and generate economic stability for communities in developing nations. Living income for farm workers with a buying price minimum for $2.50/lb Farmer transparency and accountability in the coffees we source Long-term relationships and business credit to support year-long financial stability and farm improvements
Our passion for coffee doesn’t end when the mug is empty—it flows into the people and communities we engage with. We’re proud to support our friends and partners in a holistic way that looks beyond the bean to discover how we can make life better for everyone.
- Investing $0.03/lb sold to a Cooperative Coffees community impact fund (winner of a 2020 SCA Sustainability Award)
- For over a decade (excluding the COVID period), we have implemented an initiative across our cafe locations. When customers bring in their own reusable cups to enjoy their coffee, we contribute a donation to On The Ground Global.
- Supporting sustainable international community development related to education, health, gender equity, strong families, access to water and sanitation via On The Ground Global. 100% of employees earn above the local living wage
We also approach sustainability through education at both the producer level and our community. In our local schools and universities, we are bringing awareness and inspiring others to take care of our future.
- We have an AST certified training lab, and prioritize coffee education for our baristas and clients. In addition to teaching coffee craft, our lessons include best sourcing and sustainability practices.
- We are a distributor for coffee house products and equipment. We partner with sustainable brands and source the most environmentally preferred products we can, from cups to cleaners.
- We serve time supporting industry and local non-profits to advance sustainability initiatives. These include several staff members serving on the board and committees with Cooperative Coffee and holding a board seat with On the Ground Global. At a local level, we are involved with organizations like The Seaside Institute.
- We mentor students through universities, and partner B Corp organizations like Florida for Good in areas of sustainability and entrepreneurship.
- We host internships and speak at local schools and colleges, like the Ohana Institute and Gulf Coast State College, in areas of environmental and social responsibility.
- Present on paths to carbon and plastic neutrality in our industry and other business sectors through webinars, podcasts and other means.
Finally, by inviting our customers and community members to participate and to take action too, we are building a sustainability business model that can have a lasting and positive impact.
Amavida measures impact through:
- Net Zero Impact – Reduce, measure, and offset carbon emissions and waste at Amavida. Offset 100% (432 tons of CO2 in 2021 and 502 in 2022) of carbon emissions and plastic waste (26,130 lbs. in 2022) while working to reduce overall environmental footprint.
- Lbs. of Coffee Sold and Premiums Paid – By creating a market for small scale coffee producers across the globe we are making strides towards improving their economy.
- Charitable Contributions – In giving support to non-profit organizations we can see our ability to fund community projects.
- B Corp Impact Assessment (BIA) – (B Corp since 2014) We are able to get a qualitative view of our social and environmental impact by annually completing the BIA and taking holistic look at the sustainability of our company; from our work with coffee producers, to our sourcing practices and distribution, to our ability to reduce waste through recycle and emission offsets, as well as how we work within our local communities and create benefits for our employees.
- At the end of the day, there are some impacts which can’t be measured numerically. Through our relationships we stay connected and actively involved with coffee producers and our communities. This keeps us aware of their needs and up to date on the outcomes of our support.
NON-PROFIT
International Women's Coffee Alliance (IWCA)
MISSION The International Women's Coffee Alliance (IWCA) Unites a global network of chapters and supports the work and growth of women in the international coffee community.
VISION Be the leader of empowerment and equity for all women in coffee.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES 2023-2027
- ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT To ensure the organization can provide impactful programs to our constituency, we first need to strengthen the organization with human resource capacity to implement programs. Sustainable financial resources can be achieved with the execution of an endowment fund. The establishment of an endowment fund will allow for sustainable operations of the organization through an annual distribution of 4% of investment income.
- HIGH-IMPACT COMMUNICATIONS Communicating who we are, what we do and how we do it is critical in engaging with our donors, partners, and other stakeholders. By making communications a priority, we will develop our brand identity to ensure clear communications.
- IMPACTFUL PROGRAMS Chapters are core to our mission and vision. Strengthening the organization will provide the opportunity to execute impactful programs for our chapter members and beneficiaries. Programs will ensure that capacity is built for long-term sustainability for chapters. O
- RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY IWCA is uniquely positioned to be the voice for women in coffee on international platforms, advocating for their issues and the role they play in the coffee sector. Research of the role and impact of women in the coffee sector will inform advocacy efforts
HOW WE ACHIEVE IMPACT Women face multiple challenges in the coffee value chain, including underrepresentation in leadership roles, leading to limited opportunities for growth. IWCA is uniquely poised to provide a leadership role to address some of these challenges through education and advocacy to ensure an equitable coffee industry. IWCA supports an international network of independent, self-organized, self-governing organizations, called chapters. Each chapter develops and implements their own strategic priorities and membership models, following the IWCA Chapter Formation Protocol. As a global organization, we achieve empowerment through leadership development, strategic partnership, and amplified market visibility.
THE LAST 20 YEARS…IWCA’S IMPACT What started as a trip to Nicaragua and Costa Rica in 2003 led by two of our founders, Karen Cebreros and Kimberly Easson, led to the formation of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA). Now a global network representing 33 chapters, the board and staff of IWCA acknowledge the vision and commitment of our founders to create an equitable coffee industry. FOUNDERS - Karen Cebreros, Kimberly Easson, Melissa Pugash, Colleen Crosby, Karen Gordon, Margaret Swallow
Root Capital
Root Capital is a social impact investor that provides financing and business training to agricultural enterprises in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. As these agricultural businesses succeed and scale, they become engines of impact for their local communities, raising incomes, creating jobs, uplifting women and young people, preserving vulnerable ecosystems, and building rural prosperity. They serve small, growing agricultural enterprises in the “missing middle” that need more than a microloan but are considered too small or risky to invest in by commercial banks. By the end of this year, Root Capital will have loaned more than USD $2B to agricultural businesses that could not otherwise find financing. And they will have trained more than 2,000 agricultural enterprises in business operations, climate action, gender equity, and next generation jobs. It’s what they refer to as their “credit plus capacity” model.
Root Capital envisions a world of resilient smallholder farmers. A world where agricultural enterprises are equipped to build farmer capacity to mitigate, withstand, and ultimately adapt to climate change—and in the process build prosperous and inclusive rural communities. As the climate crisis intensifies, Root Capital leverages its unique position as a lender, trainer, and sector leader to build the climate resilience of hundreds of businesses reaching hundreds of thousands of farmers across three continents. Their ambition is to spur the global community to recognize the power of agricultural enterprises to spark and sustain climate action at scale.
Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) and Root Capital have worked together for the entirety of Root Capital’s 25-year existence. With KDP’s support, Root Capital has provided access to finance and advisory services to 172 KDP-supply agricultural enterprises. Above all, KDP values Root Capital’s proximity to the agricultural enterprises that they serve. Root Capital’s work is not prescriptive, but rather focused on deep listening so that they may tailor their services to the needs of the client. Over just the past two and a half years, KDP’s support of Root Capital has allowed for nearly $1.3M in enterprise investments for climate action, assisting 41 enterprises (made up of 27,000+ farmers) with increasing their digital capacities and climate resilience. KDP and Root Capital are proud of the longevity and continued impact of their partnership.
Blockchain Coffee Beans
The Blockchain Coffee Beans (BCB) project, initiated in 2019 through the collaboration between Catracha Coffee in Santa Elena, Honduras, roasters Queen City Collective Coffee in Denver and Old Soul Co in Sacramento, and technology partner Bext360, has grown to include multiple producing groups across El Salvador, Ethiopia, and Colombia, with plans for further expansion. This initiative leverages blockchain, mobile application, and AI technology to enable traceability, environmental responsibility, and social equity by tracking coffee from cherry to cup. It creates supply chain transparency, enables producers and exporters to comply with changing regulation, such as EU Deforestation Regulation, and improves the livelihoods of coffee producers. The project's success is measured by its positive impact on smallholder farmer income (24-28% increase in revenue), environmental sustainability, and consumer trust. A unique feature of this project is the engagement model with consumers. They are able to scan a QR code on the coffee bag which directs them to the BCB site, allowing them to see exact payments that were made to the producers, exporters, importers, and roasters per pound, ensuring trust through blockchain verification. Additionally, for every sale, $1 is sent to the producers, reinforcing the project's commitment to equitable value distribution and fostering a deeper connection between consumers and the origins of their coffee.
World Coffee Research
World Coffee Research (WCR) unites the global coffee industry to drive science-based agricultural solutions to urgently secure a diverse and sustainable supply of quality coffee today and for generations to come. Our work is focused on unleashing the power of coffee varieties to create this sustainable future—for farmers, consumers, and coffee businesses. Our core belief is that innovation catalyzes resilience and growth in the global coffee sector. We focus on improved varieties because of their unique potential to enhance sustainability and reduce business risk (i.e., secure a diverse supply of coffee) at the same time. Improved varieties are one of the most powerful tools we have to address shocks like drought and disease further fueled by the climate crisis, reduce farmer production risk, and reduce emissions growth from coffee agriculture—which incentivizes greater on-farm investment to drive productivity and generate opportunity for farmers, supporting a more virtuous cycle.
Variety innovation delivers impact at scale, meaning it can benefit millions of farmers around the world and is a technology that can drive value for high-capacity and resource-constrained farmers alike. An individual coffee tree can be in the ground for 10, 20, or even 30 years and beyond—making the selection of a high-performing variety an investment that delivers for years. Among the most effective ways to reduce poverty is through investments in innovation that drive farm productivity. For example, Ugandan farmers who plant coffee wilt disease-resistant (CWDr) robusta varieties earn 2.5 times more income over the tree’s lifespan compared to their counterparts.
WCR comprises 170+ member companies in 29 countries, investing collectively to generate transformational, generational impact on coffee production worldwide. We work urgently in multiple, strategically targeted countries critical for ensuring a diverse supply of coffee, and our focus countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America contain 50% of the world’s 12.5 million family coffee farms, which generate 30% of global coffee supply. We work collaboratively with national research programs in producing countries to modernize their variety improvement systems, build bridges between producing country researchers and the industry to better align activities, and bring tools and proven approaches from other crops to accelerate progress in coffee. Our collaborative, multistakeholder partnerships enable us to elevate shared priorities for agricultural innovation, driving value for everyone from farmers to consumers.
We work across four integrated program areas to put the best coffee varieties into farmers’ hands: breeding, trials, nursery/seed sector work, and global leadership. Most importantly, we deploy modern breeding tools and the power of global collaboration to transform global coffee breeding and lay the foundation for the dawn of new opportunities in our industry. Global trial networks help national coffee institutes—who are responsible for variety release in most countries—to evaluate and access the best varieties and help farmers and the broader industry be assured that varieties will be resilient to climate change. To make higher quality plants available to farmers today, we strengthen seed systems, purify seed lots, and train nurseries. We produce free, open-access resources for farmers and industry to reduce barriers to knowledge. Finally, because coffee faces a $452 million/year agricultural innovation investment gap, we leverage our private sector support to advocate for increased funding and support for coffee R&D from governments around the world.
A few of our key impacts to date:
• Establishing the world’s largest global variety trial, the International Multi-Location Variety trial (IMLVT), which operates in partnership with 18 countries, to generate variety performance data to inform future breeding, deepen scientific understanding of the Genetics x Environment (GxE) interaction on yield, coffee leaf rust, and cup quality, and make existing high-performing varieties more widely available in new geographies.
• Launching Innovea—the world’s first global, collaborative breeding network for arabica. Beginning in 2023, the network is operated in partnership with 9 countries (see short video testimonials from participants here: worldcoffeeresearch.org/innovea). This project has generated 5000 new + unique trees from 33,000 hand-pollinations, which have been distributed to 11 sites around the world for evaluation, and expects to double the number of arabica varieties commercially available to farmers worldwide (to 200+). This will be the first generation of climate-resilient, high-quality varieties from this program that will offer a step change in choice for farmers. The first generation of new varieties will reach farmers in 2036 (a parallel Robusta breeding network is expected to launch in 2024).
• Improving seed value chains and quality assurance systems for new coffee trees in key geographies (including Central America, Peru, Kenya, and Uganda) to increase farmer access to healthy, vigorous, and disease-resistant plants, leading to increased production and profits. To date, we have: conducted comprehensive assessments of seed value chains in 7 countries, supported the government of El Salvador to create new legislation on the production of high-quality planting materials, created open-access technical manuals for seed/clone producers and nursery operators (viewed 10,000+ times in 2023 alone), cleaned 21 seed lots, trained over 500 nurseries, and ensured that over 16 million trees in 5 countries for sale to farmers are genetically conforming and high quality.
• Generating global public goods and open-access knowledge resources to enhance access to information for farmers and industry, and drive scientific exchange. Our knowledge products have been accessed over 1.2 million times from 97 countries: → Resources for farmers and technicians: Global coffee varieties catalog, shade tree catalogs, manuals for managing nurseries, seed lots, farms, and more. → White papers to inform policy and sustainability program designs, including papers quantifying coffee’s agricultural R&D investment gap, carbon emissions reduction potential of higher-yielding varieties, carbon accounting methods for coffee, and impacts on global production, among others. → Scientific resources and tools, including the Coffee Sensory Lexicon, coffee variety SNP signatures (useful to develop genetic fingerprinting services and breeding tools), and the first open-access arabica genome (in collaboration with Italian consortium), among others.
• Leveraging the collective voice of the coffee industry to elevate the need for deeper public investment in coffee agricultural R&D. To date we have: defined the global coffee R&D investment gap ($452 million/year) to set public donor target investment levels, supported reintroduction of legislation with bipartisan support in the U.S. (Coffee Plant Health Initiative Amendments Act + coffee R&D appropriations), and engaged the governments of the U.S., Japan, Australia, Canada, Germany, and the EU in support of multi-donor commitments to increase support of coffee R&D (aligned to coffee industry priorities).
TechnoServe
TechnoServe is working to build a sustainable global coffee industry that can lift millions of farming families out of poverty.
TechnoServe’s core agronomy work is centered around regenerative agriculture approaches that improve yield and quality and support climate change adaptation. Our Coffee Farm College teaches hands-on, regenerative practices and business skills. This proven methodology generates strong return on project investment and high adoption rates on the farm.
TechnoServe also delivers evidence-based practical solutions tailored to local coffee value chains. We support processing businesses and wet mills to strengthen coffee livelihoods and markets. By improving coffee quality at the processing level, we enable hundreds of thousands of farmers to earn premium prices for their coffee.
Currently, TechnoServe coffee programs work in Africa (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe), Latin America (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, and Puerto Rico), and India.
In 2022, our coffee programs directly benefited 152,679 people–30% of them women–through higher incomes. Since 2009, one million farmers have attended at least one TechnoServe coffee training.
Coffee farmers and businesses earned an additional $75 million in 2022 as a result of TechnoServe’s work.
TechnoServe’s coffee programs have also achieved a number of milestones. A coalition including TechnoServe has helped Puerto Rico’s coffee sector recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria, with the island reaching pre-hurricane production levels by 2022. TechnoServe’s team in Puerto Rico created a series of training videos, with several of them being viewed more than 90,000 times–even though there are only 2,500 coffee farmers on the island.
In East Africa, TechnoServe developed and scaled-up a low-tech, low-cost method for wet mills to filter waste water using vetiver grass, preventing pollution of local rivers during harvest season. TechnoServe then adapted the innovation for use by individual smallholders in Peru and Central America, with the Rainforest Alliance recognizing the approach as a valid way to treat wastewater, providing farmers a low-cost alternative for earning certification.
TechnoServe also worked with the Ethiopian Coffee & Tea Authority and Ethiopian Institute of Agriculture Research to develop a comprehensive strategy for the coffee sector, laying out an approach to quadruple the country’s coffee revenues between 2019 and 2033.
In partnership with Nespresso, TechnoServe has helped coffee farmers in Ethiopia and Kenya plant more than 1.1 million shade trees, improving the quality and resilience of their coffee, providing farmers with an alternative source of income, and helping to sequester carbon.
Community-Led Development Incubator Program by The Chain Collaborative
The Chain Collaborative (TCC) is a US-based 501(c)(3) that co-creates opportunities and strengthens capacities for community-led change in the coffee sector. We identify and invest in local leaders and their community-based organizations in coffee-producing regions, putting change-making power into the hands of under-resourced leaders who are the most equipped to drive impact in their own communities. Our unique and innovative approach recognizes the multi-faceted needs in coffee communities, and intentionally resources local leaders to develop their own culturally-specific solutions to create social, economic, and environmental impact. In addition to our work with grassroots leaders in coffee-producing communities, we also consult for mission driven organizations and companies, train coffee professionals in sustainability through virtual coursework, and innovate across the value stream through creative collaborations.
Through our central program, the Community-Led Development Incubator, we build relationships with emerging organizations in coffee-growing regions of Latin America and East Africa, providing access to first-time funding for their community-driven initiatives. Participants complete three program phases over the course of 18 months, which, among other things, allows them to take part in co-learning sessions on project planning and strategic visioning, design a community-led development project, implement it with TCC funding and robust support, and report on its impact. Finally, participants are able to join an ongoing TCC-led alumni network of change-makers in the coffee sector. Most importantly, the Community-Led Development Incubator allows global communities to combat intergenerational poverty and marginalization in the coffee sector on their own terms, and according to their own visions for change.
To date, The Chain Collaborative has partnered with 13 locally-led organizations across eight different countries: Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Rwanda, and Uganda. Through these partnerships, over 10,000 individuals have been directly impacted via projects related to coffee processing infrastructure, technical assistance for farmers, alternative income development, mental health support, food security, reforestation, and access to education and books for children. Across all of these diverse projects, 100% of the leaders who have partnered with TCC share that they have increased their confidence in themselves as leaders, are more equipped with project planning tools and skills, and are better connected to future opportunities for collaboration and markets. In addition, 87% of leaders report income increases for farmers in their communities, 80% report improved access to infrastructure, 75% report improved access to education, and 100% report an increase in the participation of women and youth.
