CONNECTING THE VALUE CHAIN, FROM CROP TO CUP

EFICO | CONNECTING THE VALUE CHAIN BASED ON A GREATER COMMON PURPOSE

We are currently living in challenging times; world trade was only just recovering from the pandemic when war broke out in Ukraine last year. In such a disruptive economy, doing business with purpose is more important than ever. As a coffee value connector, EFICO’s goal is to create value, transparency and traceability throughout the entire coffee chain, from crop to cup.

As you may know, EFICO is a family company with a purpose driven business mindset. We strive for a long-term and stable partnership within the value chain; we want to bring value back to the farmers and put our expertise at the service of coffee roasters.

Ninety-seven years ago, we embarked on a dynamic sustainability trajectory that continues to evolve, even (or even more so) in turbulent economic times.

Quality has been and always will be at the heart of everything we do, as we believe it is a great way to create value and experience passion.

In 2022 we added flavor diversity from crop to cup with 373 different coffees from 30 countries!

EFICO | PROUD TO BE PART OF LOCALLY EMBEDDED PARTNERSHIPS

Throughout the coffee value chain, we focus on smart partnerships; we build and strengthen the expertise of our partners to create maximum value. That is why our sourcing strategy is aimed at maximizing sourcing through cooperatives and local exporters who invest value in their local economies.

We are therefore proud to say that 40% of our coffee comes from cooperatives worldwide and 42% from local exporters.

Most of our coffee suppliers have been working with us for decades and we grow together organically thanks to the mutual trust and shared values of food integrity, quality and sustainability. Our sourcing offices in Ethiopia, Central America and Brazil play a key role in connecting the value chain; they literally and figuratively stand alongside our partner producers.

EFICO YEAR 2022 | VERIFIED & CERTIFIED COFFEE FROM LOCAL COOPERATIVES & EXPORTERS

51% of our coffees is certified according to ORGANIC, Rainforest Alliance/UTZ and FAIR TRADE standards. On top of that

11% is verified and audited by external independent auditors against recognized sustainability standards. This goes way beyond the sectoral averages.

2022 Key Figures From Our Main Sourcing Areas

While the stats give you a clear picture of the geographic breakdown of our certified and verified coffees, looking beyond the numbers can give you a better understanding of ‘why’ and ‘how’ this reflects country and market realities.

Brazil

Brazil is our number 1 sourcing country. About 1 on 3 coffee bags we source at EFICO has Brazilian origins. It is no surprise that these beans are a perfect basis for blends and single origin coffee. While 41% of certified coffee from Brazil seems low versus EFICO’s sourcing profile, this is way beyond sector averages. An additional 26% verified coffee brings the full percentage of labelled coffee to 67% Brazilian verified and certified. 90% comes from local cooperatives and local exporters. We work closely with them on fully traceability and transparent sustainable coffees. This will result in an additional 14% of our coffee that is on the way to being verified against sustainable coffee standards, bringing our total to 81%.

Central America

71% of our Central American sourced coffees are already verified and certified. 78 % comes from local cooperatives and local exporters.

While being very advanced at certification level, the region is having huge challenges in terms of migration, climate change, productivity and security. With our local sourcing offices in Guatemala City and various ongoing projects of the EFICO FOUNDATION , we remain closely connected with our partners. We continue to invest in this region and continue to create added value by launching and implementing quality and sustainability initiatives and facilitating financing, to make our value chains truly sustainable.

Ethiopia

While only 37% is being certified, this goes way beyond the industry average. Our own operations in Ethiopia enable us to establish fully traceable value chains up to the washing station, with premium value for quality to the farmers. This adds 48% to our sustainably sourced volumes according to our own sourcing standards, bringing up the total to 85%. 91% comes from local cooperatives and our sourcing partner KURU.

EFICO’S FUTURE OUTLOOK | BEYOND CERTIFICATION

Our way forward goes beyond certification, envisioning carbon positive and quality coffee, sourced fairly from thriving coffee communities. We believe in a value chain where coffee roasters and their customers know the unique and complete fingerprint identity from crop to cup.