| In the coffee sector, it is essential to work in partnership with the coffee farmers on the ground. Our Tchibo Joint Forces!® qualification programme encourages the positive economic development of smallholder operations, putting them in a position to make their own contributions to implementing social and environmental standards. We systematically select suitable producers and monitor their sustainable development step by step in a multi-year process. This modular process starts with training to increase the yield and quality of the coffee to improve the farms’ profitability. In many cases it culminates in certification by a recognised standards organisation. We have successfully qualified more than 30,000 coffee farmers through Tchibo Joint Forces!®, and are steadily increasing our share of validated or certified sustainable coffee: in 2014 the share of raw coffee that met the criteria of the Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, UTZ Certified and certified organic or 4C baseline standards accounted for around 35% of our total raw coffee (Coffee value chain). |
