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SCAA Awards Innovative Sustainability Projects in the Specialty Coffee Industry
MINNEAPOLIS-(Business Wire)-May 1, 2008 - The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), the world's largest coffee trade association, today announced the international recipients of its annual Sustainability Award. This award honors individuals, businesses and organizations in the specialty coffee industry that have created innovative projects to expand and promote sustainability. This year's winners represent organizations from Brazil, Honduras, The Netherlands and Nicaragua.
The 2008 Sustainability Award winners will be recognized before thousands of coffee professionals at SCAA's 20th Annual Conference & Exhibition on May 3 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minn.
"The environment and sustainability issues continue to be a fundamental focus for the global specialty coffee industry," said Mary Petitt, president of the Specialty Coffee Association of America. "The 2008 winners of SCAA's Sustainability Award have all demonstrated a high level of commitment to these important issues. We congratulate them on their success and for doing their part to make a difference for the planet and for the business of specialty coffee."
As part of its mission, SCAA is actively involved in issues relating to sustainability and looks to its members to take leadership roles in sustainable practices. This year, an impressive total of 13 companies submitted their sustainability projects for consideration.
SCAA's 2008 Sustainability Award Winners include:
Essent Energy Trading and Solidaridad (The Netherlands)
Because of this 2008 Sustainability Award winner, coffee husks are now being used as fuel to generate green electricity—-a worldwide first. Essent Energy Trading and the development organization Solidaridad introduced a new form of biomass, where coffee husks replace coal and other fossil fuels to produce green electricity at Essent's power stations. The coffee husk is non-edible, so there are no implications with animal food chains, and it's a way for coffee farmers to earn supplemental income. Early calculations show that this innovation could lead to a carbon dioxide reduction of at least 90 percent, when compared to an average Dutch power station. The coffee husks used in this program, which originate from Brazil, could generate enough green electricity at Essent's Amer power station in Geertruidenberg, The Netherlands, to benefit more than 100,000 households for a year.
Alianza para la Sostenibilidad/ Sogimex SA/ Ecom Agroindustrial Corp Ltd. (Honduras)
Also an SCAA Sustainability Award winner this year is Alianza para la Sostenibilidad (APS), which is financed by Sogimex SA, a member of Ecom Agroindustrial Corp Ltd. in Honduras. Sogimex/Ecom created the non-governmental organization APS in order to increase sustainability efforts among specialty coffee producers in Honduras. The project initially started as a program where a few producers focused on the Starbucks Coffee Company-initiated C.A.F.E. (Coffee and Farmer Equity) Practices, which evaluates, recognizes and rewards producers of high-quality, sustainably-grown coffee. However, the program developed into a national initiative to: achieve overall sustainability throughout the coffee chain in Honduras, obtain critical certifications, and offer technical assistance to impact producers in the region. Utz Certified, one of the largest coffee certification programs in the world, was used as a platform, enabling producers to comply with strict social, environmental, economic and traceability standards. Today, more than 500 producers are implementing environmental best-practices on their farms, which have inspired similar programs in Uganda, Colombia, Mexico and Kenya.
SCAA's 2008 Sustainability Award Honorable Mention recipients include:
Selva Negra (Nicaragua)
Sanitation and wastewater management is a worldwide issue. In fact, the United Nations declared 2008 the "International Year of Sanitation." Representatives at SCAA's 2008 Sustainability Award Honorable Mention recipient, Selva Negra coffee estate, take this issue seriously. The farm houses better than 400 people during the off season and during the coffee-picking season, this number easily doubles. Such a scenario can create an incredibly daunting environmental and sustainability issue when it comes to sanitation and the use of water. To remedy the situation, Selva Negra created a water system that recycles and saves water and prevents water waste. Their toilet system is ecological and sustainable as the restroom water, along with shower and laundry water, is filtered through rocks and bamboo to eliminate bacteria. The decontaminated water is then routed to an underground pipeline, filtered again, and then used to irrigate a field of citrus trees as well as a sugar cane plantation for the estate's cattle. The coffee estate's human waste bio-digesters produce gas for the kitchen.
Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza (Brazil)
SCAA 2008 Sustainability Award Honorable Mention recipient Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza (FAF) is a socially responsible, sustainable, organic farm. The farm's focus on sustainability helps to provide stable production, while being considerate of the local soil, water and air. Perennial, environmentally-friendly coffee trees grow on the farm, which helps to create viable forests throughout the surrounding area. Cows graze on the farm's pastures, and the herd's milk is used at the farm and sold to the local cooperative. Beekeeping has been a tradition on the farm, which boasts a favorable habitat with its abundance of wild flowers and absence of chemical pesticides and herbicides. FAF, also maintains an organic fruit and vegetable garden that provides produce year round. The organic farm sponsors all workers with college aspirations, and all FAF management and operational personnel have a say in farm operations and long-term planning, which supports good governance, development and poverty reduction. In order to spread the word about its philosophy on sustainability, FAF organizes workshops and educational programs in partnership with local communities, universities, schools and other organizations.
In accord with SCAA's mission of promoting sustainability in the specialty coffee industry, the association has created a carbon neutrality program to help offset emissions related to conference travel, lodging and energy consumption. All conference attendees are required to participate in the program. The funds collected from will be donated to non-profit organization, Trees for the Future, for the purchasing and planting of new trees.
As the specialty coffee industry's premier event, SCAA's 20th Annual Conference & Exhibition features in-depth educational sessions covering a variety of specialty coffee topics, hundreds of exhibit booths, a keynote presentation from Michael Shuman, author of "The Small-Mart Revolution," the 2008 SCAA United States Barista Championship, the 2008 SCAA Coffee of the Year Competition and the 2008 Roasters Choice Tasting Competition.
About the SCAA
Celebrating 26 years of success, SCAA is the world's largest coffee trade association. SCAA members are located in more than 40 countries and represent every segment of the specialty coffee industry, from coffee growers to coffee roasters and retailers. The SCAA's mission is to be the recognized authority on specialty coffee, providing a common forum for the development and promotion of coffee excellence and sustainability. The SCAA's dedication to excellence in coffee is realized through the setting of quality standards for the industry; conducting research on coffee, equipment and perfection of craft; and providing education, training, resources and business services for members. The SCAA's annual conference is held in a different U.S. city each year and is the coffee industry's largest gathering and exhibition.
Note to Editors: To register for a press pass, go to the SCAA press room at the Minneapolis Convention Center, Room M100H. You can also send an e-mail to rickh@scaa.org or call (949) 500-0938.
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