Cheltenham 3/05/2008: The Kenco Coffee Company has today announced a major expansion of its partnership with the Rainforest Alliance, which by the end of 2008 will see 75% of the beans for its entire freeze-dried coffee range sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms.
This demonstrates the next stage in Kenco’s coffee sustainability journey following the successful launches of Kenco Sustainable Development in 2005 and Kenco Pure in 2007. The partnership will offer consumers trusted Kenco quality with the confidence of Rainforest Alliance Certification™.
Kenco's ultimate goal is to source its entire coffee range, which includes instant, roast & ground and Away from Home coffees, from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms by 2010, as supply becomes available. This amount to approximately 13,000 tonnes of coffee beans , about 60 million cups of coffee a week; representing a major step forward in the programme with the Rainforest Alliance.
The Rainforest Alliance is an independent international environment organisation that works with farmers to guide them towards sustainability, making a real difference to the lives of future generations. The Rainforest Alliance approaches sustainable farming in a holistic and balanced way by focusing equally on the environment, ethics and economics.
Nick Bunker, Vice President and managing director of Kraft Foods UK & Ireland, commented: "This is part of our long-term sustainability strategy - at Kraft, sustainability is about doing what’s good for people, the environment and our business. Consumers are increasingly demanding high quality, sustainably sourced products that make a tangible, positive difference to the quality of life for farmers, farm workers, and their families and communities. Through our partnership with the Rainforest Alliance we are able to provide our customers with quality coffee without any compromise in taste, while helping deepen our relationship with coffee growing communities.
"The Rainforest Alliance Certified programme is comprehensive and fits seamlessly with our strategy and priorities. We are extremely excited about the expanded partnership and are confident that this move will be welcomed by consumers."
Tensie Whelan, President at Rainforest Alliance commented: “Kenco’s commitment to certified sustainable farming practice will deliver positive and lasting changes in coffee growing communities around the world, as well as providing the great quality coffee that Kenco consumers are used to. This agreement with Kraft Foods, the parent company of Kenco represents a huge win for farmers, farm workers and the environment on which they and we depend as sustainability goes mainstream.”
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For further information on this press release and images, please contact: Sophie Smith on 0207 067 0415 or ssmith@golinharris.com
Notes to Editors:
- Kenco's parent company, Kraft Foods (NYSE:KFT) is one of the world's largest food and beverage companies, with 2007 revenues of more than $37 billion. Kraft has had a worldwide partnership with the Rainforest Alliance since 2003 and is the largest buyer of coffee from Rainforest Alliance Certified ™ farms.
- Kraft has increased its purchase volume from Rainforest Alliance Certified ™ farms from 2,400 tonnes in 2004 to approximately 20,000 tonnes in 2007, and continues to buy increasing volumes.
- In the UK, Kenco launched Kenco Sustainable Development in 2005 and Kenco Pure in 2007, both of which use only coffee from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. Visit www.kencosustainabledevelopment.co.uk for more information.
- The Rainforest Alliance is an independent, international non-profit NGO that works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behaviour. The Rainforest Alliance pioneered the practice of setting standards and certifying well-managed forests nearly 20 years ago, and developed comprehensive principles and standards for sustainable agriculture shortly thereafter. For more information visit: www.rainforest-alliance.org.
- The Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM seal appears on products that comply with the standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (a group of NGOs of which the Rainforest Alliance serves as the Secretariat) and should not be confused with any other certification mark or product label. Care should be taken when referring to labels generically, as terms such as ethical, fair, or sustainable have specific meanings within the scope of each label’s approach to improving the social and environmental impact of business and commerce.
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