1. Sustainability Standards for Coffee and Wine What are the Differences?
AAWE – Padova, Italy – June 2017
Morten Scholer

2. Coffee – Flowering, cherries and green beans

3. Coffee – Two species Arabica Robusta 60 % 40% Share of world
Arabica
Robusta
Share of
world
production
60 %
Latin America, East Africa, South East Asia
40%
Vietnam + other S.E. Asia, Brazil, West/Central Africa
Quality
(Caffeine)
Fine-flavoured aromatic
(1.0 – 1.5%)
Strong and harsher (filler)
( 2% )

8. Coffee – Leading sustainability standards
Dimension
Standards with a ‘main dimension’
Standards covering ‘all dimensions’
Environment
 Organic
(Biodynamic, Shade-grown, Bird-friendly)
Rainforest Alliance
Utz Certified
……………………………
4C (GCP)
………………………………
 Nespresso – AAA
 Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practice
 Keurig Green Mountain’s
Responsible Sourcing
Social
 Fairtrade (FLO)
 Fair Trade USA
Economic

9. Coffee and wine – Four structural differences
- Value chain (parties involved and physical transformations)
Complex for coffee – simpler for wine
- Quality enhancement (‘manipulation’)
Only few options in coffee – many in wine
- Size of companies (relative size)
Big in coffee (some have +10% of world trade) – small in wine (all below 3%)
- Sustainability standards
Coffee is more complex than wine (coffee has worldwide standards,
with more processes, locations and partners (sometimes illiterate))

10. Coffee Wine Sustainability standards – Origins and focus
Coffee
Wine
Where were the standards initiated?
Importing countries
Consumers in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe
Producing countries
Grape growers and winemakers
Which dimension was first in focus?
Social
– with focus on fair prices and later also on other aspects
Environment
– with shifts to organic farming and other nature-oriented practices
What was the rationale behind the initiatives?
Solidarity
– expressed for poor coffee growers and their families
Nature in focus
Concern about nature and care for the health of producers

11. Coffee Sustainability standards – Geographical range
  Coffee
Wine
 Standards are global
Standards are national or regional/local

12. Sustainability standards – Value chain complexity
Coffee
Wine
  Long value chain
Field work
Harvest
In-land trading
Primary processing (dry / wet)
Milling
Sorting
Stuffing (bags or bulk)
Sale from exporter
……….… Border …..……
Shipping
Storage
In-land transportation
Roasting
Blending
Packing
Sale to professional or retail
Grinding
Brewing
Serving – drinking
Short value chain (one place)
De-stemming, sorting, crunching
Maceration
Fermentation
Storage (aging)
Bottling
Sale from producer
………... Border ………

13. Sustainability standards – Geographical spread in blends
 Coffee
Wine
 Geographical spread – High
Example of a typical blend (Arabica)
40% Brazil (for body and sweetness)
25% Colombia (body and acidity)
20% Guatemala (aroma and flavour)
15% Kenya (acidity and brightness)
Geographical spread – Next to none
Chile, COYAM, Emiliana, Biodynamic
38% Syrah
27% Carménère
21% Merlot
12% Cabernet Sauvignon
1% Mourvèdre,
1% Petit Verdot

14. People involved – Few (relatively)
Sustainability standards – Number of people, education, language, access to information …
 Coffee
Wine
 People involved – Many
Example – Uganda
Standard: 4C (Global Coffee Platform)
 NUCAFE Cooperative
 5,100 farmers ( = 1% of Uganda’s farmers)
 4 local languages + English
 Education – often modest
 Access to information – often modest
 Uganda produces 2% of the world’s
coffee
People involved – Few (relatively)
Example – New Zealand
Standard: Sustainable Winegrowing NZ
 254 wineries and 1,918 vineyards
 98% of NZ’s vineyard area is certified
 One language
 Education – good
 Access to information – easy
 New Zealand produces 1% of the
world’s wine

15. Conclusion
Sustainability standards are more complex to develop and to implement for coffee than for wine – Not the same as easy for wine
 Coffee
Wine
 Standards are global
Value chains are long
Blends: Input from many countries
Producers: Many – with limited education and access to information 
Language: Often several
Standards are national or local
Value chains are short
Blends; Input is local
Producers: Few (relatively) – with good education and access to information
Language: Usually one only