How is collective action protecting the future of coffee?

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It’s hard to imagine the world without coffee, but its current ubiquity isn’t as impervious as it might seem. Rising temperatures are expected to cause vast reductions in production in the world’s most suitable growing areas, while the amount of water resources needed to irrigate, process and transport coffee crops are quickly becoming unsustainable. There is valid concern to be had as to whether it will soon be wiped out by climate change.

Luckily, different coffee actors, from brand-name companies to cooperatives and NGOs, are working together to help ensure this commodity remains with us by making each step along its value chain more resilient, adaptive and sustainable. From standardizing best principles and practices to reporting accurately on actions to driving sustainable investment in the sector, intense new strategy is being put into play to transform the industry into one equipped to last. In this GLF Live, the Global Coffee Platform‘s executive director Annette Pensel joined in discussion with the sustainability director of Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE Peet’s) Nadia Hoarau-Mwaura to pull back the curtain on what’s being done to protect these beloved beans.

Listen back to the conversation:

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Annette Pensel is the executive director of the Global Coffee Platform (GCP), responsible for leadership, development, and overall management of this inclusive multi-stakeholder membership association. Annette brings close to 20 years of experience in the international coffee sector and in the fields of development cooperation, including corporate sustainability, public-private partnerships, capacity building and voluntary sustainability standards. As the director of Sustainability Innovations of the former 4C Association (and the GCP Interim Executive Director since July 2016), Annette was central to the many successful partnerships formed throughout its history, most notably the development of Vision2020, which connected the public and private sectors and creates a common vision for the public and private sectors to work towards in producing countries; and the co-creation of the GCP together with the former Sustainable Coffee Program (SCP).

Nadia Hoarau-Mwaura is the sustainability director at Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE Peet’s), tasked with the strategy and execution of the responsible sourcing program – JDE Common Grounds. In this role she works closely across the different functions such as procurement, marketing, sales, and research and development as well as managing strategic partnerships and relations in the public and private sector. Nadia has more than 15 years of experience in sustainable development, working across different commodities including cocoa, tea and coffee. She joined JDE in 2015, having worked with Mondelez International in the coffee division before that. Prior to this she worked with Fairtrade International for 10 years focusing her expertise on building producer support programs in Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Nadia sits on the Board of the Global Coffee Platform.