Alliances for a Strong Future:
Local and Global Partnerships

Beneficio de Café Montecristo SA (Becamo S.A.) was founded in 1983 by Emilio R. Medina and has become one of the leading coffee exporters in Honduras over the years through collaboration with over 4,000 local suppliers. Since 1989, Becamo has been a member of the Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG). Becamo's core business is the purchase, processing, and marketing of coffee that meets the quality requirements of both national and international markets.

Sustainability as a business driver: Through the application of modern and innovative technologies and a commitment to ethical and ecological standards, Becamo contributes to the sustainable development of the Honduran coffee community. In 2023, Becamo received the award for the most sustainable company in Honduras for the ninth consecutive time.

Coffee Care is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2004 by coffee suppliers to make the work of coffee producers and farmers in Guatemala fair. The NGO focuses on the three main growing regions of Guatemala - Oriente, Atitlán, and Huehuetenango. Coffee Care's goal is to implement projects and programs that actually change and improve the working conditions and lives of the farmers and their communities, thus also positively contributing to the national coffee industry.

Coffee + Climate (C+C) was founded in 2010 by internationally operating coffee companies and members of the International Coffee Partners (ICP), including Johannson Kaffe from Norway, Paulig from Finland, Löfbergs from Sweden, the Neumann Group and Tchibo from Germany, as well as Delta Cafés from Portugal and development organizations such as the German Society for Cooperation (GIZ) and Fondazione Giuseppe Di Vittorio. The Hanns R. Neumann Foundation (HRNS) coordinates and implements the measures.

The goal of the initiative is to support small-scale farmers in Ethiopia, Brazil, Indonesia, Tanzania, Trifino, and Uganda in responding to climate change with an approach tailored to each country. This includes training on responsible handling of agrochemicals as well as new solutions such as CO2 compensation systems. The farmers not only learn how to deal with changing climate conditions, but also how to improve the local food and income situation. In addition, the trainings aim at the integration of young people and the promotion of gender equality in order to create a holistic fair and economic coffee industry.

Access to exchange and knowledge: In response to the needs of coffee-growing regions worldwide, the C+C Toolbox was developed as an open online platform for effective climate change mitigation. It includes a compilation of field-tested tools, case studies, guidelines, and training materials to equip farmers and agricultural communities with valuable information about climate-resilient agricultural techniques and practices. The content is based on the collaboration of farmers, agronomists, and climate experts.

Dss+ is an international consulting firm headquartered in Switzerland. Dss+ specializes in safety and operational management, with the aim of saving lives and shaping a sustainable future for future generations. The focus is on helping companies build organizational and human competencies, control risks, optimize operational processes, achieve sustainability goals, and act responsibly overall.

Enveritas was founded in 2016 and is a non-profit organization based in the USA. Its goal is to bring more transparency to the coffee sector in order to better protect people and the environment on site. To achieve this, Enveritas uses satellite-based analyses and machine learning in combination with more traditional farm surveys. This approach allows sustainability information to be collected for large parts of the global growing regions. The founders of Enveritas have decades of experience in supporting small-scale coffee farmers in Latin America and Africa. Through their work, they have recognized the potential of technology in solving local problems.

Fairtrade is an independent initiative to promote fair trade, advocating for more justice in global trade. Fairtrade enters into licensing agreements with trade partners who offer products traded according to Fairtrade standards - this includes prescribed minimum prices and premiums for community projects on site. This commitment serves to empower all producers worldwide - especially in the Global South - to live a safe and good life, to realize their potential, and to decide their own future in the long term. To this end, Fairtrade connects producers and consumers and supports people in the growing countries so that they can overcome poverty on their own, strengthen their position, and determine their own lives.

The Global Coffee Platform (GCP) brings together coffee producers, roasters, traders, government organizations, and NGOs to pool resources and respond collectively to local issues in coffee cultivation in order to make a global change. This is because the shared vision is to create a more sustainable and profitable coffee sector for future generations around the world.

IHCAFE is an institution focused on promoting the socio-economic profitability of coffee cultivation in Honduras. IHCAFE offers training and support programs for university graduates, agronomists, and farmers to increase the country's competitiveness, make the use of more environmentally friendly and modern technologies the status quo, and establish diversification of fields as an alternative source of income.

This is achieved by IHCAFE focusing on management and business development, setting standards for internal and external production and marketing of coffee, and thus generating a more sustainable and competitive coffee farming economy on the international market. This enables farmer families to develop in many ways.

The Inga Foundation was founded by, among others, Mike Hands. The main goal of the foundation is to protect the rainforest, empower people in Honduras to help themselves, and secure their food supply. The projects of the Inga Foundation are based on the results of the founder's long-term studies on subsistence farming with slash-and-burn for the University of Cambridge. Based on this, the Inga model was developed - a system that supports small-scale farmers to escape poverty and stop the practice of slash-and-burn.

Farmers are trained in high-efficiency cultivation on relatively small spaces, so that one to two hectares are sufficient to secure the food for the whole family as well as firewood for cooking and heating. In this way, an average of six hectares of land per family is freed up, which the farmers can then use for other purposes to generate additional income.

The Instituto BioSistêmico (IBS) was founded in 2006. Since then, the organization has been pursuing the goal of promoting agricultural development in Brazil through innovative measures and the application of technological processes. So far, IBS has supported 21 states in over 220 projects. The focus is on collectively advancing social and ecological sustainability in the agricultural sector. For us, the organization is the ideal partner for the implementation and coordination of Paisagens Sustentáveis.

The International Coffee Organization (ICO) was founded in 1963 and is the only intergovernmental organization for the international coffee industry that brings together exporting and importing governments. Currently, the ICO covers 93 percent of global coffee production and 63 percent of global consumption, providing a basis for dialogue between governments, the private coffee sector, development partners, civil society, and other stakeholders. As of November 7, 2022, the ICO has 49 members: 42 exporting states and 7 importing members for a total of 75 countries.

The main goal of the ICO is to promote and coordinate measures to stabilize the coffee market and support the sustainable development of the coffee industry. To this end, the ICO collects data and produces independent, publicly accessible statistics and analyses on the production, consumption, trade, and prices of coffee. Another concern of the ICO is to promote fairness and sustainability in coffee production in order to improve the living conditions of coffee farmers and workers, reduce environmental impacts, and optimize the quality and diversity of coffee.

The ICO consists of member countries that include both coffee producers and coffee consumers. The members meet regularly to discuss policy issues, develop joint projects, and make decisions related to coffee trade and the coffee industry.

International Coffee Partners (ICP) is an initiative founded in 2001 by five leading European coffee companies: Paulig from Finland, Löfbergs from Sweden, Lavazza from Italy, the Neumann Group and Tchibo from Germany. In 2011, Joh. Johannson Kaffe from Norway joined, Franck from Croatia has been part of the initiative since 2014, and in July 2018, Delta Cafés from Portugal became the eighth member of ICP.

ICP has the long-term vision of improving the living conditions of small-scale farmers and their families by generating better yields and becoming more competitive based on sustainable practices. To this end, the initiative works directly with farmers, families, and communities in a total of 13 origin countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America where coffee is grown. The current project regions are located in Ethiopia, Brazil, Honduras, Indonesia, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The focus of ICP's measures is on family businesses and farmer cooperatives, adaptations to climate change, and the promotion of young farmers and women. From pilot to best practice: With the goal of developing scalable models with the greatest impact, practical projects are created in public-private partnerships and close cooperation with local and international organizations. ICP's work had impacts on approximately 47,000 hectares of land worldwide where coffee is grown in 2020. Of this, over 33,000 hectares are already under sustainable management.

The core business of the Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG) is green coffee. From coffee cultivation and further processing in mills, through export and international shipping, to import, storage, and financing - the product coffee is at the center of the globally operating service group. The NKG, headquartered in Hamburg, operates with more than 50 companies in 26 countries and employs over 3,000 people.

One of the most important corporate goals is the sustainable design of the entire coffee supply chain. Globally relevant issues such as climate change, the profitability of cultivation for future generations, diversity, and transparency therefore play a major role in establishing solutions for a responsible coffee industry.

The Tchibo GmbH Germany and various export and import companies of the Neumann Kaffee Gruppe have been operating an extensive green coffee business together for more than 5 decades. The relationship extends to almost all coffee origins from which Tchibo sources its coffee. The NKG and its group companies are not only professional and reliable green coffee suppliers or green coffee service providers. They are also involved in many projects in coffee regions that promote sustainable supply chains and local farmer groups.

NKG Vietnam, the local export company of the NKG, is also the implementation partner of our project "Climate Resilient Coffee Farming" on site and takes over the direct cooperation with the coffee producers, which fits perfectly with our goals for a more sustainable world.

The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organization that works at the intersection of trade, land, and forestry to create a world where people and nature can grow together. It advocates for the protection of forests and biodiversity, acts for the climate, and promotes the improvement of livelihoods for rural populations.

SNV is a development organization driven by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that promotes inclusive market-based approaches based on local know-how to systematically combat poverty in rural areas. SNV has extensive experience in implementing large-scale agricultural programs in collaboration with the Vietnamese government, the private sector, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders involved in training farmers in climate-friendly and sustainable production practices. These trainings create opportunities for the base of the pyramid, i.e., the poor rural population and often vulnerable farmers of ethnic minorities, to improve their income and economic security. SNV has a proven track record of collaborating with Vietnamese government institutions and supports Tchibo in building partnerships and subcontracting government agencies to independently implement certain program activities.

The World Coffee Research (WCR) is an internationally active organization that was founded in 2012 and specializes in research and development in the field of coffee. Its members include over 230 companies from 27 countries worldwide, including Starbucks, Dunkin', the J.M. Smucker Company, Keurig Dr. Pepper, illycaffè, and JDE/Peets.

The main goal is to improve the sustainability and resilience of coffee cultivation, increase the quality and productivity of coffee plants, and create a sustainable livelihood for people in the coffee sector that meets the growing demand while protecting natural resources. To this end, WCR invests in agricultural innovations to preserve origin diversity and strengthen producers in the eleven project countries Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Peru, and Uganda - these countries cover half of the 12.5 million coffee farmer families worldwide and produce about a third of all global coffee.

Advancing with science: Among other things, WCR advocates for the professionalization of nurseries and seed systems, conducts variety trials, and modernizes plant breeding. This is intended to improve the quality of coffee and give farmers access to better varieties so that they can become more resilient and profitable in the face of threats such as climate change. For the respective research, WCR works with leading institutions in the producer countries and around the world.