American coffee and foodservice company Farmer Brothers released its 2020 sustainability report which sees the company achieving its goals in sustainably sourcing, producing, and trading coffee beans.
As a coffee roaster, wholesaler, and distributor, Farmer Brothers reported reaching its targets, including roasting nearly 14.5 million kilograms of fully traceable green coffee over the course of 2020 and diverting approximately 75 per cent of its waste away from landfills.
Since 2018, the company has also reportedly achieved a zero-waste status across all of its roasting facilities and reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by 11 per cent between 2019 and 2020.
The report also found that Farmer Brothers’ restored on average 9,000 pieces of commercial brewing equipment annually with 75 per cent of all components recovered.
“Our commitment to quality coffee and service goes hand in hand with our commitment to sustainability, which is a three-part equation encompassing Social, Environmental, and Economic Development,” says Deverl Maserang, President and CEO of Farmer Brothers.
“We call that SEED – which is not a program, but a framework for how we approach our sustainability practices. We believe that each of these parts is inextricably intertwined with the others.”
Maserang says that if Farmer Brothers was to falter in one of the three goals, which include service, quality, and corporate responsibility, the company would not be able to champion sustainability.
With Farmer Brothers facing challenges on many levels, Maserang says it was the company’s grounding in the concept of sustainability that has helped maintain focus on the goal.
“As we pivoted to rethink our business model and adapt to the pandemic-impacted environment, we evaluated whatever we did against all three parts of the sustainability equation,” says Maserang.
The company looks to continue building long-term relationships with its coffee growers, partners, and customers, while continuing to weave sustainable practices “into the fabric of the organisation,” from transparency in its supply chain to supporting its coffee farmers.
To read the full report please click here.