In our industry, sustainability has become background noise. A lot is promised, not everything is explained. We do not play along: not because we do not care about the subject, but because it matters too much to us for well-rounded sentences.
So here is what we actually do:
Our group holds a majority stake in three coffee farms: Fiadanana in Madagascar, Golden Farm in Ethiopia's Guji and Finca Mariposa at 1'900 metres in Peru. We rely on biodynamic growing principles, shade trees and living soils. In Madagascar the plantation is still being established: we expect the first harvest in 2028.
Since 2012 we have supported tree planting and reforestation projects, starting with SEKEM in the Egyptian desert. Further commitments took us to Madagascar, Brazil and Rhodes. We document what we have supported, and we also say where we cannot verify the long-term impact ourselves.
Our pods are made of paper. The freshness packaging contains a layer of aluminium. Both are true, and we say both. We are working on alternatives for the freshness barrier. As soon as we can reliably produce something better, you will read about it here.
Our machines are built to keep. A machine that can be used and repaired for a long time does not need to be replaced too soon. That is why we focus on maintenance, repairability and the longest possible service life, including for our R1 and its Reniala pods.
