GLOBAL COFFEEPLATFORM

Who is paying for the coffee of the future?

As a primer to the World of Coffee Amsterdam and following the publication of the Coffee Barometer 2018, the Rainforest Alliance, Rabobank, ViceVersa and Solidaridad jointly hosted the event ‘Who is paying for the coffee of the future?’.

It was a lively debate that featured not only a presentation by Hivos’ SjoerdPanhuysen introducing the Barometer report, but also a set of two panels which looked at value distribution (How do we successfully achieve a fairer distribution? Is transparency the answer, and if so, how can we make sure every link in the chain is playing its part?) and sustainable investment (What kinds of substantial investments are needed to secure the future of coffee? Who can make these investments? How can stakeholders successfully collaborate to create investable propositions?).

The panels welcomed valuable contributions and discussion from such GCP Members as Juan Esteban Orduz (CEO & President of Colombian Coffee Federation), Daniel Martz (Director Global Corporate Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, Jacobs Douwe Egberts), Michel Germanes (Managing Director, EFICO GROUP), Esther Berkelaar (Head Trade and Commodity Finance Agri Europe at Rabobank), Marcelo Burity, Head of Green Coffee Development – Nestlé).

In case you missed it:

• GCP blogpost on Coffee Barometer 2018 – click here.
• Agenda of the event can be found here.
• The opening speech by HeskeVerburg, Managing Director of Solidaridad Europe can be found here.

SCA Sustainability Forum (and lectures)

Now an annual feature in the schedule of the World of Coffee events, the Specialty Coffee Association’s (SCA) Sustainability Forum included some outstanding sessions that raised the awareness of the importance of sustainability among the specialty coffee crowd and connected them with the vast array of innovative and collaborative initiatives existing in the coffee sector.

One of those was shedding light on how collaboration can contribute to transforming the coffee sector. A panel featuring Annette Pensel (Global Coffee Platform), Niels Haak (Conservation International for Sustainable Coffee Challenge), Dorien van Dun (Efico Foundation) and Frederik de Vries (UTZ), navigated the audience through the approach and value of national coffee platforms to address systemic issues.

If you would like to find out more about any of the Country Platforms connected to the GCP, please visit the GCP Website or contact us here.

Another was the session “Manos al Agua: A Case Study in Collaboration for Sustainability” hosted by the FNC. It allowed the audience to learn about one of the largest climate and water initiatives in coffee production and the practices and impact behind intelligent water management.

Coffee Forum: A Dialogue hosted by the International Fairtrade System

Also on the eve of the WoC, Fairtrade International brought world-renowned experts together to put the pricing model of the Fairtrade system into a broader context and help the sector understand how it impacts on the different actors along the supply chain.

For more information and the next steps of the Fairtrade Coffee Price Model project, please contact Fairtrade International’s Alina Amador.

Efico Coffee Talk

To acknowledge their hard work and celebrate 15 years of the Efico Foundation, the Efico group brought together a myriad of their partners and associates to reflect and exchange on their shared commitment to sustainability and the shared journey to improving the lives of coffee farmers and their families.

For more information on Efico and their work, please visit their website.