Fair Trade USA Updates Coffee Program
Fair Trade USA has shared details of its new engagement and design “lab” that helps create more scalable and impactful certified coffee programs.
Based on feedback from more than 500 coffee roasters and producers over several months, Fair Trade USA updated its Innovation for Impact Initiative with the help of social impact consulting firm IDEO.org. The enhanced initiative includes a new Coffee Impact Advisory Board, made up of experts from the global coffee supply chain.
"Our recent listening tour uncovered overwhelming demand across stakeholder groups for program renewal,” said Paul Rice, Fair Trade USA’s founder and CEO. “Coffee producers want to sell more volume on Fair Trade Certified terms. They understand that price alone will not solve their problems. The industry wants greater transparency and data on impact. All stakeholders want a stronger response to climate change. Fair Trade USA will focus on innovation that addresses these core challenges faced by industry and producers.”
The board is chaired by Rüdiger Meyer, founder and former CEO of FLOCERT, and includes the following members:
- Lindsey Bolger, former SVP and managing director of Keurig Trading, USA
- Jorge Cuevas, chief coffee officer at Sustainable Harvest Importers, USA
- Guido Fernandez, EVP of the Colombian Coffee Federation Inc., Colombia
- Carlos Murillo, president of EXPOCERT, a leading coffee broker based in Costa Rica and former board member of Utz Certified, Fairtrade Netherlands, and Fairtrade Germany
- Alain Nzigamasabo, SVP and general merchandising manager for grocery and beverage at Sam's Club, USA
- Abdias Ortiz, CEO of Aprocassi, Fair Trade coffee cooperative, Peru
- Angela Pelaez, sustainability manager at RGC Coffee Americas, Colombia
- Jérôme Perez, global head of Sustainability at Nespresso, Switzerland
- Ivania Rivera, senior coffee trader at Aldea Global, a Fair Trade coffee cooperative in Nicaragua
- Matt Smith, EVP of Supply Chain and Sustainability at Westrock Coffee, USA
- Carlos Vargas, CEO of various Fair Trade Coffee Cooperatives, Costa Rica
According to Fair Trade USA, the nonprofit has delivered over $1 billion in impact to farmers and workers worldwide. The enhanced initiative comes as sustainability and ethical supply chains become increasingly important for consumers and retailers alike.
“To generate the next billion, we must enlist the best creative thinking of our global stakeholder community to renew the Fair Trade Certified coffee program,” said Meyer. “The livelihoods of our producing families depend on it and I am excited to be able to contribute to that effort.”