Kahlúa believes as one of the world’s most recognisable coffee liqueur brands, we should aim to support the people and the fragile ecosystems that the coffee industry relies upon.
During the last 35 years, coffee consumption has as much as doubled across the whole globe. In fact, 41% of people in the US drink coffee daily – with a 9% increase from 1999 to 2017*, and in China consumption is expected to grow to $45bn by 2020, up from $10.5bn in 2015**. Therefore, with the coffee industry seeing constant increasing demand, it is important to keep sustainable practices front of mind.
So in 2016, Kahlúa embarked on an ambitious 10-year project: Coffee for Good. It involved four remote coffee-growing villages in Veracruz, the birthplace of Kahlúa. Last year, these small communities grew enough coffee to provide 100% of the coffee used in Kahlúa.
Billy King, Sustainable Development Director for Kahlúa comments ‘We recognise that the way we consume, do business and ultimately live has to change. At Kahlúa, we believe that the quality and character of our product comes from the land where the ingredients are grown, so we are committed to nurturing that terroir and its biodiversity. With this programme, we have the opportunity to engage with communities we rely on for our ingredients and work together to ensure a strong and more sustainable future for us all.’
We partnered with the local NGO Fondo Para La Paz, and started Coffee For Good with one community – Ocotempa. Six years on, the project is now working with a total of four remote villages in the mountains of Veracruz (Ocotempa, Atempa, Oxtotitla, Coxititla) and approximately 473 individual farmers. Now, farmers will be able to sell enough coffee to cover all Kahlúa production, and more. Because the Coffee for Good project goes far beyond Kahlúa itself.
The aim of Coffee for Good is to help communities in Veracruz sustain themselves, so we don’t buy all of the coffee the farmers grow – ensuring that with or without Kahlúa, they can continue to make a good living.
The project has educated 704 farmers on increasing yields through the use of improved farming techniques, replacing old coffee plants with 213,000 more climate change-resistant varieties and as a result, increasing the farmers’ income. Younger generations are also deciding to stay in the area to take over their parents’ farms and other families are moving to villages to reap the rewards of coffee farming.
Watch our film below which tells the inspiring story behind last year’s Coffee for Good harvest.
* Speciality Coffee Association on The National Coffee Association (NCA) American Coffee Consumption Report, 2017
** Analysis on the China Coffee Market 2017, Marketing China, Report
