BT Cocoa

• Landmark strategic investment in Linhares combines local economic development with ofi’s sustainability strategy
• New facility complements ofi’s existing facilities in Vietnam and Spain, providing global customer base with high-quality freeze-dried and spray-dried instant coffee

ofi, a global leader in naturally good food and beverage ingredients, officially inaugurated its state-of-the-art soluble coffee facility in Linhares, Espírito Santo, Brazil on Friday, May 9^th. The strategic investment strengthens ofi's position as a top 3 independent producer in the growing global soluble coffee market, projected to reach $52.2 billion by 2031^[1], while creating significant economic impact in Brazil's premier coffee-growing region.

Located in the heart of Brazil's Conilon coffee region, the Linhares facility transforms coffee beans sourced from ofi’s coffee units across Brazil into premium soluble products. Serving a global network of customers, the Linhares site has two complete lines of freeze-dried and spray-dried instant coffee, thereby maximizing output and material efficiency.

"This inauguration represents a triple win – for local communities, for our customers, and for the environment," said Vivek Verma, ofi’s Managing Director & CEO, coffee. "By processing coffee at the source, we're strengthening our integrated supply chain and farmer partnerships to deliver traceable, sustainable soluble coffee products to our customers. A strengthened innovation infrastructure focusing on value-added coffee products will build growth opportunities in South and North America, while also serving consumption markets in Europe and Asia. I would like to thank the Espírito Santo state government for establishing an enabling business environment.”

Brazil is of strategic importance to ofi’s portfolio – with operations across coffee, cocoa and spices having been developed over the past 24 years. The Linhares site was selected due to the abundant Conilon coffee production in the Espírito Santo region which provides approximately 70% of Brazil's output^[2] - a potential growth driver for the global supply of robusta coffee beans. The site complements ofi’s existing soluble coffee processing facilities in Spain and Vietnam.

Sustainable by design, innovative by nature

Sustainability is built into every aspect of the Linhares operation, in line with ofi's "Choices for Change" strategy. It is powered by 100% renewable electricity and biomass boilers that convert coffee production waste into energy, helping to reduce the carbon footprint of ofi and its customers. The beans supplied to the facility are fully traceable and the soluble coffee produced from the facility is certified by the Rainforest Alliance.

The facility features cutting-edge technology for producing diverse soluble coffee products, with a state-of-the-art Freeze Dryer that uses energy-efficient methods. It also incorporates ofi's new soluble coffee innovation center, building on an integrated global network of 19 innovation centers – across ofi’s portfolio of cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts and spices.

• Approximately 25,000 farmers across Brazil, Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria will be trained and supported to convert their farms to agroforestry and implement crop residue management
• The aim is to plant over 2.8 million trees and cultivate more than 72,000 hectares of agroforestry as part of a transition to regenerative agriculture.
• It’s estimated to cut more than 1.5 million tons of CO₂ over the next 30 years from these activities

Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company and ofi (olam food ingredients), a global leader in naturally good food and beverage ingredients and solutions, are launching their largest-ever joint cocoa agroforestry partnership to reduce carbon emissions and combat deforestation.

As the cocoa industry faces the dual challenges of rising demand and increased environmental pressures, Nestlé and ofi are stepping up their efforts to create a more sustainable future for cocoa production.

Spanning Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, and Brazil, approximately 25,000 farmers will be supported in transitioning to climate-smart farming, over a 5-year period in each country by implementing agroforestry and crop residue management^[1]. These activities will be monitored until 2055, with ofi’s carbon footprinting experts estimating they can cut carbon emissions by 1.5 million tons of CO₂ over the next 30 years.  

The project aims to cultivate more than 72,000 hectares of agroforestry, as part of a transition to regenerative agriculture. This includes planting an estimated 2.8 million trees, which will be 3^rd party verified, from the nursery to the farm. The baselines for these activities have been established using ofi’s AI-powered Carbon Stock Monitoring tool and will be used continuously to track the geolocation of the trees and that they are growing to comply with the objectives set out by Nestlé and ofi.

The global partnership builds on 15 years of Nestlé and ofi collaborating on sustainable cocoa and is their largest joint agroforestry initiative to date. It is designed to support Nestlé’s Cocoa Plan and 2050 Net Zero targets while also contributing towards ofi’s Cocoa Compass sustainability ambition, which introduced new targets for regenerative agriculture.  These feed into ofi’s overarching sustainability strategy, Choices for Change, with a vision of being the preferred partner for positive change.

We look forward to meeting you in person at PLMA. Come and visit us at stand 1.J15, hall 1, where our private label experts will be happy to help you discover our market ready solutions in soluble coffee, nuts and spices. Book your appointment now via your ofi contact or email.