LOOKING BACK

Dear Valued Partner,

It is not a coincidence that many phrases we use metaphorically on a daily basis are nautical expressions: scan the horizon, go with the wind in the stern, weather the storm, right the ship, drop anchor,… These days, there are indeed plenty of comparisons to be drawn between embarking a boating journey and navigating a business.

The environment in which we all operate is constantly changing: the physical surroundings of wind, waves and weather, the competitive entourage, the economic, regulatory, social and technological situation and the financial landscape. Unexpectedly overcoming obstacles or charting newer, better or more up-todate courses is not just for sailors; these practices and strategies are an integral part of any business reality today.

In recent years we ‘Nolens Volens’ have learnt a thing or two about course correction. In just two short years, a double whammy of external shocks (COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine) has unleashed global development and also shrouded the aspirations of the 2030 Agenda in uncertainty. The consequences are worrying for the success of sustainable development worldwide.

More specifically in the world of coffee, in 2022 everyone was still recovering from the Brazilian freak frost (July 2021). Fortunately, the coffee industry has not been shipwrecked and we have once again managed to navigate through this associated headaches.

The only way to weather the ‘perfect storm’ is together. At EFICO, we are more than ever convinced that partnerships play an important role in achieving development impact. As a partner of organizations in the public, private and NGO/ social sectors, we value and recognize the transformative power of cross-sectoral collabs. We are all in the same boat and only together can we build a more prosperous, inclusive, greener and resilient future. In 2022, the morale of our entire crew and company was high and these positive vibes gave us some extra energy. We can once again proudly muse about our great collaboration with our different partners in origin, or about the wonderful encounters with our partner coffee roasters in Europe and beyond.

Just as a ship’s logbook is an important document used to record different scenarios and situations, we would like to take this opportunity to walk you through the data we have recorded in our EFICO GROUP 2022 logbook.

In 2022 a lot happened behind the scenes of our logistics service center SEABRIDGE . Together, the captain and the entire crew started mapping out their further sustainability route in detail. Their great collective awareness and enthusiasm will certainly contribute to getting to this more sustainable destination in time. In addition, the SEABRIDGE’s specialized and talented crew recommitted themselves to sharing their knowledge and skills; in the fall of 2022 they once again hosted a series of well-attended and highly valued Q-grading training courses. A little further on the horizon, in the

Dominican Republic more specifically, SEABRIDGE planted trees together with their cacao partners Zorzal & SILVA. Some 900 native trees are now sprouting and growing and will soon enhance the biodiversity of this local valuable ecosystem.

In 2022, we were finally allowed to take a break from the virtual coffee meet ups and to have proper in-person coffee encounters once again. We were more than happy to be fully present and to represent EFICO and CUPRIMA at some major coffee events: World of Coffee Milan, Paris Café Festival, Paris Coffee Show, SCA Boston, Sintercafé, 13th SCTA Coffee Forum & Dinner, ...

At EFICO and CUPRIMA , sustainability and traceability are self-evident concepts and intertwined in day-to-day business operations. However, much of this work happens ‘below deck’. So whenever you couldn’t find our crew on the field with their boots on, trading on the floor, testing in the quality lab or hosting and cupping at an coffee event, they were dealing with less visible but equally important issues.

Sustainable sourcing is what we do and who we are; we can therefore proudly say that EFICO’s 2022 logbook states that 82% of our purchased volumes come from local cooperatives and local exporters, and a total of 62% of our coffee is certified or verified to recognized sustainable standards. Even though some of these coffees do not carry a label, for an additional 20% we know the farmers behind the coffee.

On the road to smart digitization, there are entire business processes and flows that we need to look at critically and in detail. EFICO therefore started the initial preparatory work at the end of 2022; assessing IT systems and screening digital, coherent and intelligent processes. In preparation for various forthcoming laws and regulations, it is important that everything underlying is in shipshape.

In 2022, 8 projects from our EFICO FOUNDATION generated a direct positive impact on the lives of 1,856 coffee entrepreneurs and indirectly had a positive influence on the lives of 6,685 coffee families. This would not have been possible without our FOUNDATION partners, donors, supporters and ambassadors.

Behind the scenes, EFICO & EFICO FOUNDATION continued to work on the Gender Equity principle; their input helped Equal Origins to launch their GEI toolwhich is now ready to use. EFICO & EFICO FOUNDATION will continue to support multiplying the positive trigger effect.

Every day and every year, together with our partners, we learn a little more about how we can improve our business. This report brings together our ambition, strategy, commitments and contributions to shape a more thriving coffee future. We hope EFICO GROUP’s 2022 logbook inspires you to join us in these efforts.

Let’s set sail together towards a more sustainable horizon.