Partnership programmes

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Partnership programmes

Our partnership programmes are sustainability programmes in the countries of origin. We implement the programmes in cooperation with export companies or other partners. The focus of the programmes is on improving the farmer’s livelihood and ensuring the continuity of coffee farming as well as developing the entire local community. Approximately one fifth of our coffee is currently sourced through partnership programs. Many producers included in the programs are also certified. Those producers who are not yet certified have been verified by our local partner in the origin country according to the Paulig Code of Conduct and will additionally be verified sustainable by a third party audit in 2019. Read more about our partnership projects here.

Visit also International Coffee Partners and Coffee & Climate websites.

General information about partnership projects

Most of our coffee beans come from small family businesses, which are threatened by circumstances such as climate change and a lack of sufficient livelihood. Here at Paulig we work on the premise that coffee farmers must be able to sustain themselves and their families. Our development projects are always primarily aimed at securing and improving the farmers’ livelihoods.

Our partnership project in Rwenzori, Uganda

The goal of the project, launched in 2012, is to improve the livelihoods of coffee farming families in the Rwenzori region in Uganda by developing high-quality Arabica coffee production to be more competitive and sustainable.

Livelihood for Tanzanian farmers

The project started in 2010, and it aims to streamline coffee production processes so that the income level of a total of 25,000 farmers and their families would rise above the poverty line. The project helps farmers to build well-managed commercial organisations owned by themselves. The organisations provide their members with services that improve the cultivation process and increase the sales of coffee.

Sustainable cultivation methods introduced in Trifinio

The project, which started in 2014 in Trifinio (the tri-border area of the three countries, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras), aims to improve the living conditions of 4,000 farmers and their families by supporting farmers to get organised and reducing the number of middlemen. Farmers are also encouraged to introduce sustainable farming practices so that the biodiversity in the area is not compromised.

Aiming for efficient cultivation of Robusta in Indonesia

The aim of the project, which started in 2013, is to improve the profitability of small-scale Robusta farms and to adapt farming practices to climate change. Now that farmers have been trained to focus on the quality of the coffee, they can work together to access larger markets.

Support for small farmers in Peru

The project in Peru has focused on creating development programmes for farmers and setting up farmer communities to promote business. More than 4,500 farmers and their family members in Peru have been able to improve their living conditions through our partnership project.

The Nicaragua project with Mercon

Our latest partnership project takes place in Nicaragua, where we have been working with the export company Mercon. We have been involved in the renovation of a school in the Nueva Segovia Department and the construction of infrastructure that gives people access to clean drinking water.

International Coffee Partners

In 2001, we were involved in establishing the non-profit International Coffee Partners community together with four other family-owned companies in the coffee business. ICP projects have improved the lives of nearly 247,000 people, including the farmers’ family members.

“By improving farming practices, it is possible to produce better quality beans that are richer in flavour.”

The Coffee & Climate project

The biggest challenge for the coffee sector is global warming. The idea behind the Coffee & Climate project is to support coffee farmers in adapting to climate change, collect information on the subject and spread the best farming practices across the project areas.