Melitta has sourced the first shipment of coffee produced and certified in collaboration with the project in Colombia, 4C said.
4C Services GmbH and the family-run coffee producer Melitta Europa GmbH & Co KG – Division Coffee – are working together with Colombian coffee farmers in the Magdalena region on the project. “Improving working and living circumstances for coffee smallholders in Colombia”.To make farmers’ operations more feasible and the sector more appealing to future generations, the coffee from the Magdalena region gaining traction in Europe is important.
Private-sector financier giant Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG) is co-funding the initiative through its develoPPP program, started in 1999 by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to encourage private sector participation in areas where commercial and development policy efforts overlap.
At the end of 2021, 437 smallholder coffee producers got 4C certified, marking a key project milestone. In line with this accomplishment, Melitta paid a premium for their first batch of 4C certified, traceable coffee from project recipients in early 2022.
Richard Becerra, a coffee farmer in the Magdalena region of Colombia, said, “With the 4C certification, we take care of our environment, becoming more sustainable in the long term and adding value to our coffee, which allows us to improve our income.”
4C’s implementing partner, Federación Nacional de Cafeteros (FNC), is a democratic and participatory organisation that represents over 500,000 families of coffee growers in Colombia. The two units started the project in early 2020, and since then, they have conducted 386 on-farm trainings and online workshops for individuals and groups alike. At these trainings, smallholder coffee producers are provided technical assistance to learn effective management practices and prepare for the 4C audit.
We are very proud that the first green coffees from the project region in Colombia have been shipped to Bremen. This shows the great progress made in the project, and that under the challenging circumstances. Many thanks to the partners involved that this milestone has been reached as planned.
Jan Rischkopf, Sustainability Manager of Melitta Europa GmbH & Co. KG – Division Coffee
The joint project will continue to assist more coffee growers in 2022 in improving their production techniques to preserve the 4C accreditation. These efforts will entail more training, both online and on the farm. The project will also strengthen prospects for young adults in the coffee industry in the Magdalena region through training on barista skills, coffee tasting, ecotourism and business. Additionally, the beneficiaries will receive financial support to make necessary investments in order to apply the learnings from the training and improvement initiatives identified during the 4C audit.
Strong and direct market links between coffee producers and international markets are key to improve livelihoods of coffee communities and build sustainable supply chains. We are very proud that with its partners, 4C has been able to contribute to this important outcome, despite the difficult COVID framework conditions.
Norbert Schmitz, Managing Director of 4C Services.
4C is a sustainability certification program for the coffee industry. To develop legitimate, sustainable, and transparent supply chains, 4C certification focuses on sound agricultural and management practices, including standards for economic, social, and environmental conditions for coffee production and processing.
Sources:
PRESS RELEASE on 03 May 2022 from 4C
