GCP speaks to Brandon Jackson of Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. and learns how the firm approaches coffee sustainability in an ethical and responsible way.
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (BBH) was founded in 1818, initially as a commodities merchant, importing/exporting – among others –tobacco, coffee, cocoa, and sugar. By the 1840s, the firm’s name became so reputable in trans-Atlantic trade that it began guaranteeing the trades for third parties. This is how the firm started issuing letters of credit and financing commodities.
In 1857, the company exited the physical trading business to focus solely on commodity finance, and 204 years later BBH is still heavily dedicated to financing the commodity trade.
BBH believes sustainability is all about running operations responsibly and ethically, while contributing positively to clients, colleagues, and communities. Launched in 2019, the company’s sustainability/CSR program, Sustainable BBH, is led by a senior governing body, the BBH Executive Sustainability Council, and chaired by managing partner William (Bill) Tyree.
With the creation of Sustainable BBH, BBH has united many existing social and environmental programs and launched several new ones to form a comprehensive bank-wide program. The program goals align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and encompasses our commitment to our clients, our people, and our communities.
“While our firm-wide sustainability initiatives make an impact in the communities where we work and live, the GCP has helped us also make in impact in the communities where our clients do business. Coffee is one of the most important industries that we finance, and the GCP has helped us focus on sustainability further upstream than we’d be able to impact on our own.”
– Brandon Jackson, Senior Vice President in Commodities & Logistics at BBH.
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (“BBH”) may be used as a generic term to reference the company as a whole and/or its various subsidiaries generally. All trademarks and service marks included are the property of BBH or their respective owners. © Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. 2022. All rights reserved.