Kraft is one of the world's leading coffee companies, and it's only natural that we would want to see a growing and thriving coffee market. Coffee is our heritage.

Our brands such as Kenco, Maxwell House, Gevalia and Jacobs have a long history of quality. Kenco was created in 1923 by a group of coffee farmers who developed what was considered the finest blend of their Kenyan coffee and in the late 1800s Maxwell House hotel in Nashville, Tennessee became synonymous with its preferred blend of coffee after it insisted it would never buy another brand.

We are proud of our past, but need to look to the future too. At Kraft, we recognise that responsible corporate citizenship is both good for our business and the right thing to do. Our goal is to make sustainability a part of every business decision we make.

Kraft Foods has been working in the area of coffee sustainability for over a decade and announced a partnership with the Rainforest Alliance in 2003. Kraft’s work with the Rainforest Alliance grew from a company-wide tradition to act responsibly and is an important element of our overall Sustainability strategy.

Kraft believes that integrating sustainability within our supply chain is the best long-term way to help coffee farmers. By working with producers to transform the way coffee is grown, a sustainable future for coffee farmers – and a continuous supply of quality coffee beans – can be supported.

This view is shared by the Rainforest Alliance who enable farmers to improve their farming practices – and thus their incomes and quality of life – whilst protecting the environment. On Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms, forests and wildlife are preserved and farm workers are treated with respect. They have access to clean water, medical care and education for themselves and their families.

Coffee from Rainforest Alliance Certified ™ farms commands a higher price on the market. Through better farm management, farmers are helped to improve quality, control costs and access more financial and technical services; thus learning to compete in the global economy and achieve better incomes and more sustainable livelihoods.

Kenco has been at the forefront of implementing Kraft’s global relationship with the Rainforest Alliance. It gradually built the demand for certified coffee by launching two 100% RA Certified products (Kenco Sustainable Development and Kenco Pure) in both the retail and foodservice sectors.

Kraft is the largest single purchaser of coffee from Rainforest Alliance Certified ™ farms. In 2007, Kraft purchased approximately 20,000 tons of coffee from Rainforest Alliance Certified ™ farms based on market price with an average premium of 8-14 cents (per pound) over the market price.

Through this partnership, we hope to be able to assist in ensuring a sustainable market for the longer term and grow a better coffee future for everyone.