Income
Commitment to fair incomes and alternative sources of income for farmers
Coffee & food
Fresh coffee, from origin to cup
Tchibo Coffee Service is firmly committed to responsible conduct and the highest product quality. Our goal is to offer exclusively responsibly sourced coffee with our coffee solutions by 2027. How do we intend to get there? Find out more about the comprehensive Tchibo Coffee Programme and our partnerships with leading certification organisations such as Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance.
The Tchibo Coffee Programme
With heart and responsibility
The better the conditions under which coffee is grown and traded, the better it is for people and the environment. That is why, 20 years ago, Tchibo began promoting sustainable, yield-increasing farming methods on coffee farms. Since 2023 the company has been active with its own, further developed project approach: the Tchibo Coffee Programme. It focuses on three fields of action:
Working conditions
Contribution to better living and working conditions in the growing regions
Coffee cultivation
Support for environmentally friendly coffee cultivation and promotion of measures against the effects of climate change
Effective, together with the people on the ground
On the ground in the countries of origin, tailor-made programmes are created, developed together with the coffee farmers.
The clear goal: to offer only responsibly purchased coffee and to solve the most important challenges together and effectively, in order to foster positive development – especially a better economic situation for growers and adaptation to climate change.
Tchibo works with the non-profit organisation Enveritas, which verifies this work.
As an independent verifier, Enveritas carries out an assessment of the entire Tchibo supply chain. This provides reliable data for measuring progress in the environmental, economic and social areas and for evaluating the effectiveness of the programme.
Based on the analysis, Tchibo identifies the key regional challenges. In close cooperation with farmers and local partners, individual multi-year programmes are then developed that make the best possible use of the valuable knowledge and experience of the people on the ground.
Enveritas continuously accompanies the implementation of the projects and evaluates their success. The programme is already active in Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Colombia, Tanzania, Vietnam and Peru – further countries will follow step by step.
Our certification partners
Certified for over 20 years
Recognised certifications are another component of transparent and responsible sourcing for Tchibo Coffee Service. We have been working with Fairtrade for more than 20 years – complemented by partnerships with Rainforest Alliance and EU organic certification.
These collaborations stand for binding social and environmental standards along the entire supply chain – from resource-saving farming methods and fair trading relationships to targeted training programmes in the growing regions.
Fairtrade stands for
- stable minimum prices plus an additional Fairtrade premium for community projects
- compliance with social, environmental and economic standards
- promotion of environmental and climate protection
Rainforest Alliance promises
- preservation of the rainforest and sensitive ecosystems
- ecological and socially responsible farming methods
- socially fair and safe working conditions in the growing regions
The organic seals guarantee
- exclusive use of natural fertiliser
- preservation of biodiversity and the natural fertility of the soil
- complete traceability of the product back to its origin
Insight: the Cafescor cooperative
Fairtrade since 2014
We source selected Arabica coffees from cooperatives such as Cafescor in western Honduras. More than 440 members have joined forces here. Since 2014 they have been working to Fairtrade standards, combining traditional knowledge with modern technology. Their own processing facilities ensure complete traceability.
© (CLAC)/Fairtrade
Processing on site
Through selective hand-picking, the farmers harvest only ripe coffee cherries. This ensures consistently high quality. In wet processing, controlled fermentation creates the beans' characteristic flavour profile. After washing and sun-drying, the parchment is removed and the beans are prepared for export.
© (CLAC)/Fairtrade
From Honduras to the Tchibo roastery
From the port of Puerto Cortés, the Fairtrade beans set off on their journey to Hamburg. Protected in big bags, they retain their quality until gentle roasting at the Tchibo roastery. Here, too, the idea of sustainability continues: the coffee skins produced are used as biomass to generate energy. The result is sustainable coffee enjoyment for your business.
© (CLAC)/Fairtrade
