Good Inside News 1/2009

New year, new resolutions and changes....
Changes are made by people so we want to thank you for your effort and commitment in achieving professionalism in sustainable production and trade in 2008. We understand that the ability to sustain is a challenge; however not one we believe should be ignored or avoided. Together we can lead the way and by joining forces make the successes in 2009 even greater.

Sales up almost 50%!

The total sales volume of UTZ CERTIFIED coffee in 2008 was 77,500 MT: a 48% increase in comparison to 2007! The demand for UTZ CERTIFIED coffee was stronger than expected. Our goal for 2008 - 65,000 MT - was surpassed by nearly 20%. Honduras and Vietnam doubled their sales compared to the previous year and numerous producers are working now towards certification.

So what will 2009 bring? Our goal is to reach 95,000 MT. With coffee sales already underway, we all hope for continued growth this year and look forward to sharing the progress of the palm oil, cocoa and tea programs with you in the coming months.

UTZ partners with Sara Lee and Ahold Coffee Company in a Travel &Traceability Campaign

For the first time ever UTZ partnered with two main Dutch coffee brands - Perla (Ahold Coffee Company) and Douwe Egberts (Sara Lee) - in the same campaign.
A large share of the coffee sold at Dutch railway stations is UTZ CERTIFIED. Ahold Coffee Company sells UTZ coffee at AH to go and Douwe Egberts coffee is sold at Kiosk and Wizzl shops. The 'Travel & Traceability' campaign focused on the link between a person traveling by public transport and the way coffee has traveled and is traceable by the unique UTZ Traceability system.
For more information people were directed to www.koffiecheck.nl, where they could check where the coffee they just bought at the station came from.
At the end of December 2008 15 campaign ads and 2 'stoppers' were published in Dutch (free) daily newspaper METRO. METRO is one of the most popular Dutch newspapers with almost 2 million readers per day and is the most widely distributed and read paper on public transport.
To further promote the campaign the brands featured posters at their selling points, a press release was sent out and METRO published an editorial on UTZ and Traceability.

UTZ CERTIFIED in Vietnam

During the Second Coffee Festival in Vietnam the UTZ CERTIFIED team, together with Solidaridad, hosted a number of producers and traders at the UTZ exhibition stand, all interested in receiving information about the UTZ program, and about sustainable coffee production and sourcing in Vietnam. The event also attracted local and national media who reported extensively on UTZ certification and its members.

Following the exhibition, an 'UTZ Day' was organized with more than 100 participants from the Ministry of Agriculture, provincial authorities, UTZ CERTIFIED producers and traders, experts and development agencies. They discussed UTZ's activities over the past years and expressed their appreciation for its contribution to sustainable development in the coffee sector. The UTZ CERTIFIED team, in turn, thanked producers and traders for their support and successful cooperation in working towards certification. During the conference 15 producers received UTZ certificates. Four new certificates were handed out to Neumann Gruppe Vietnam, Mercafe Vietnam, Pectec Joint Stock Company and ACEP.

UTZ sales from Vietnam in 2008 reached 14,500 MT, double that achieved in 2007. With new certified producers on board, 2009 promises to be yet another successful year in Vietnam.

New at UTZ

Since October 2008

24 producers, 15 exporters, 6 warehouse, 9 traders, 29 roasters, retailers and brands. Welcome! To see the names of the new members click on the categories below.

Also in the newsletter

• New Tea Code available
• Palm Oil traceability live
• Cocoa Code Update

"Better Inside" Certification

UTZ CERTIFIED is growing - last year's coffee sales were almost 50% up compared to 2007. Growth requires improvement and we are working hard to accomplish this. The first step was in January 2009, when the new "better inside" certification documents were released. These documents incorporate the expertise gained over the last few years in facilitating good agricultural practices and traceability.
How are they better? UTZ CERTIFIED producers comply with the Code of Conduct - a set of criteria for socially and environmentally responsible coffee growing practices and efficient farm management. Over the last two years UTZ CERTIFIED has worked closely with stakeholders in the field, from industry and NGO's to develop a new realistic Code that meets the needs and demands of all parties involved. The result: a focus on continuous improvement rather than on the black-white thinking of yes/no. Yearly producers show that they are improving their application of sustainable practices - maximizing the positive impact on production. Single farms and smallholders in a group both receive tailored answers to their questions in the new guidance documents.
You as a consumer want to be sure that when buying a pack with the UTZ CERTIFIED logo the content is indeed Good Inside. The Chain of Custody requirements are the key to traceability - the rules for the separation of certified from non-certified coffee and its documentation. The new version takes into account the growing number of actors along the supply chain and their circumstances.
When all the different actors in the chain comply with the UTZ CERTIFIED requirements, you can be assured your product is Good Inside.

Vera Espindola Rafael
Certification Coordinator

Click here to see the new certification documents

Code development process

On 18 December experts from Vietnam gathered to discuss the Code version 2006 and give feedback on the new draft version, as part of the stakeholder consultation on the revision of the Code of Conduct for coffee. Certification auditors and technical assistants showed appreciation for the new code structure and the continuous improvement model. With their input - after having consulted coffee experts from Latin America and Africa - the final version of the Code was developed in a way that better fits the production context and stimulates good agricultural practices and efficient farm management.

SPOTLIGHT ON: UTZ in Honduras

The sales of UTZ CERTIFIED coffee from Honduras were doubled in 2008 compared to the previous year: reaching almost 100,000 bags. We asked the managers of two big projects in Honduras - Daniel Gerber from Sogimex and Eric Ahler from Cigrah - what the impact of certification and the higher demand is.

Poll

What is most important for a credible standard?

• freely available online 10.3%
• stakeholder approach in the development process 16.2%
• stimulates continuous improvement of sustainable practices 73.5%

total votes : 68

Good Inside in Japan

The roasting factories of Key Coffee Inc. and Nestle Japan Ltd. successfully obtained the UTZ Chain of Custody certification in the second half of 2008.
Good Inside - UTZ CERTIFIED in Japan - was also prominent in events at the end of 2008. During SCAJ 2008 (October 15-17 at Tokyo Big Site with 20,520 visitors in total) Good Inside had a booth where information about the program was available and Juliette Caulkins, Enrique Abril and Miyuki Ortiz, the Good Inside Sales Manager for Japan gave a presentation at the Sustainable Coffee Symposium. At Eco-Products 2008, Key Coffee Inc. and Coca Cola Japan briefly presented their commitment to Good Inside.

Bringing Quality Measurement to Traceability!

UTZ USA has forged the beginnings of a pilot program with the Coffee Quality Institute's Q-Cupping program (a project of the SCAA). The ultimate goal is for UTZ's highest quality certified coffee to be Q-Certified as well, thereby offering our customers the opportunity to have a clear documentation that they are not only getting the most sustainable coffee available, but also the very highest quality as well! The first project with CQI is to Q-Certify a small handful of coffees from several of our specialty growing regions. These coffees will be promoted in the annual specialty brochure at this year's SCAA event in April.

Origin Trip: Graham Mitchell in Colombia

Graham Mitchell, General Manager for North America traveled to Colombia in November. He shares his impressions from the meetings with producers, exporters and traders in this travel report.