FRANCE
Pernod Ricard, makers of the popular coffee-based liqueur Kahlúa, are launching a development program to source 100% of its coffee from sustainable communities by 2022.
The program is “designed to have a meaningful environmental and socio-economic impact on the lives of Mexican coffee farmers and their families,” the French company said on its website.
“We recognize that the way we consume, do business and ultimately live has to change,” said Billy King, Kahlúa’s director of sustainable development. “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 program, 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.”The company, working with local NGO Fondo Para La Paz and indigenous coffee communities in Veracruz, will take a three-step approach. It will train farmers in sustainable agricultural practices; provide the tools and methods needed to increase efficiency, sustainability, and yields; and it will support “social cohesion, gender equality and education” within the coffee growing communities.