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Header A better future SUCAFINA HAS PUBLICLY UNVEILED ITS 2030 SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY, INTRO REAFFIRMING THE COFFEE MERCHANT’S COMMITMENT TO A MORE SUSTAINABLE COFFEE INDUSTRY.
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Investing in Farmers is one of three pillars in Sucafina’s 2030 sustainability strategy.
s the premier supplier of East African coffee and with operations in 32 countries, Sucafina prides itself on direct connections and relationships with producers. Sucafina Sustainability Manager Justin Archer tells Global Coffee Report that with such deep ties to farmers, it’s no surprise that sustainability plays a big part in its work at origin. “We’ve built quite a robust business around working directly with farmers, owning several washing stations for a number of years. We’ve become firmly implanted in and connected to those communities,” Archer says. “With so many of our own assets and resources in origin, a focus on sustainability and farmer livelihood became almost a necessity. Now, sustainability has become synonymous with Sucafina, and we’re seeing that connection open up new opportunities in different parts of the world.” In October 2021, Sucafina released its inaugural sustainability report, titled Shared Value for a Better Future. The report outlines Sucafina’s past and existing work towards sustainability, significant changes in 2020, and the trader’s 2030 sustainability strategy. The strategy profiles three pillars under which its other goals and areas of focus fall: Caring for People, Investing in Farmers, and Protecting Our Planet. Archer says while no pillar is more important than the others, Investing in Farmers is the central pillar the strategy rests on.
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“There’s a slight risk that the coffee industry’s increased focus on environmental concerns could make us forget that, ultimately, this is a people business and there’s a very human centred aspect of what we do. If farmers can’t believe in a vision of economic development for themselves, they’re not going to be able to help us tackle environmental and social issues,” Archer says. “Hence the need to make sure that we tackle things like price volatility, access to finance, good technical advice for farmers, and support for communities. Unless we can address these, the industry is probably not going to make much headway in terms of addressing longterm environmental challenges.” Currently, Sucafina can identify 171,000 farmers in its global supply chain, at least half of which receive ongoing training and support. Under Investing in Farmers, the coffee company intends to double the size of its farmer network to 350,000 producers worldwide by 2025. Archer says this does not necessarily mean doubling the size of the business and will involve increasing the transparency and traceability that can sometimes be lost when dealing with intermediaries. “To support that effort, we are going to be looking at putting in place long-term farmer financing solutions. We’re working with our commercial banking partners to see if we can establish a dedicated farmer financing facility, which will hopefully be something to the tune of US$30 million within a couple years’ time,” he says. Sucafina is also exploring ways it can ensure price stability for coffee farmers, with the goal to source one million bags of green coffee per year under some form of price guarantee mechanism that rewards them for sustainable farming practices by 2025.
