Growing a sustainable coffee future

ofi's Coffee LENS (Livelihoods, Education and Nature at Scale) strategy focuses on make a lasting and tangible impact on the livelihoods of farmers, their communities, and the landscapes they rely on. It’s guided by a comprehensive framework, encompassing specific goals and targets that are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

2022 Coffee LENS Impact Report now available

Read more about the progress made in our second Coffee LENS Impact Report, together with our customers and sustainability partners.

A few of the highlights include:

  • Over 117,000 farmer households impacted through 40+ sustainability projects with customers and partners. This is over half-way to ofi’s 2025 goals to improve the livelihoods of 200,000 farmers.
  • A 30% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 Greenhouse Gas emissions in processing plants and the installation of 1,131 wastewater treatment systems, resulting in a 27.2% reduction in wastewater.
  • Interventions to regenerate coffee landscapes and reduce deforestation with over 2.4mn non-coffee trees planted, remediation plans implemented in 75% of identified high-risk areas, and soil health improved over 34,000 hectares.
  • Over 2.4 million non-coffee trees planted to help with regeneration and deforestation.

Coffee LENS stories

Coffee, bees, and an appetite for more: how can we shift the sustainability lens from ambition to action?

It has been one year since we announced our public commitments for a more sustainable coffee future, with Coffee LENS (Livelihoods, Education, Nature at Scale).

Creating a circular coffee economy

Working as part of the Circular Coffee Economy project in Peru with Solidaridad and other partners, ofi engages 1,564 producers in the San Martín region on circular farming practices to improve productivity and implement agroforestry systems, wastewater management and other activities that will build their resilience to climate change.

Tailoring support to each coffee farmer’s reality

In 2020, we performed a detailed literature review and analysis to assess if we’re focusing on the right interventions to really make a difference to farmer profitability and close the gap on living income.

Addressing the root cause of child labor in coffee

High poverty rates in rural areas and a lack of school infrastructure result in a high risk of child labor in some coffee growing regions. While there are often complex socio-economic factors at play, child labor in coffee is never acceptable.

Three critical actions to lift smallholder farmers from coffee ‘limbo’

By Vivek Verma, MD & CEO Coffee, ofi

 

Since launching our sustainability ambition for the future of coffee two years ago – Coffee LENS - we’ve seen coffee prices swing from a four-year low, to record highs. The current spike will be offering some respite to the world’s 12.5m smallholder producers.

Maximizing Opportunities in coffee & cacao in the Americas (MOCCA)

Through project MOCCA, we’re providing technical training and resources to help smallholders improve coffee quality and livelihoods.

Read ofi news

How ofi is creating actionable pathways to unravel the complexity of decarbonization

In a move by the Global Coffee Platform (GCP) to advance transparency and sustainability in the coffee value chain, two tiers of Olam International’s sustainability insights platform.

Global Coffee Platform recognises two tiers of Olam’s AtSource programme as sustainability schemes

In a move by the Global Coffee Platform (GCP) to advance transparency and sustainability in the coffee value chain, two tiers of Olam International’s sustainability insights platform AtSource – AtSource Entry Verified1 and AtSource Plus - have been added as new sustainable sourcing schemes to the GCP Reporting on Sustainable Coffee Purchases programme2.

Screenshot of the homepage of the Atsource website

A ‘Landscale’ Approach to Powering Coffee Sustainability in Mexico

Olam Coffee, part of Olam Food Ingredients, is working with the Rainforest Alliance in Mexico as part of the Alliance for Sustainable Landscapes and Markets, funded by USAID, to conserve biodiversity and provide sustainable farmer livelihoods in the biological corridor of the “La Frailescana” region of Chiapas.

Two men in a green forest

Olam Coffee develops novel superfruit products from upcycled coffee cherry cascara

Olam Coffee, part of olam food ingredients (ofi), has developed a range of coffee cherry cascara products as a key ingredient for beverage infusions and concentrates across multiple applications, from ice teas to nutrition bars, to meet the growing trend for healthy indulgence.

Wet cascara on a conveyer belt
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