by Rui Miguel Nabeiro, CEO of Grupo Nabeiro – Delta Cafés, was yesterday elected president of International Coffee Partners (ICP), a non-profit organization founded by eight European family coffee companies. He is succeeded by Kathrine Löfberg, Chairman of the Board of Löfbergs, a Swedish coffee roasting and trading company.
At a conference held yesterday at Delta The Coffee House Experience, in Lisbon, the current CEO of the Nabeiro Group – Delta Cafés assumed the leadership of the association focused on supporting communities of small coffee producers, which include the families responsible for the companies Delta Cafés, from Portugal (since 2018), Franck, from Croatia, Paulig, from Finland, Joh. Johannson from Norway, Löfbergs from Sweden, Lavazza from Italy, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe from Germany and Tchibo from Germany.
In this new stage, Rui Miguel Nabeiro intends to continue the work already carried out by the ICP, choosing as his main focus the challenge of the migration of young people from rural areas to the big cities, the increasingly visible challenge of climate change , as well as strengthening strategic partnerships that contribute to the viability and sustainability of the coffee industry.
“I am pleased to contribute to the development of our partnership. Younger generations and climate change are ICP’s priorities. Our goal is to provide young people with tools that allow them to explore agriculture and coffee as pillars of their livelihood,” adds the new president of International Coffee Partners.
Founded in 2001, ICP has supported more than 100,000 small coffee farming families in 13 countries. In a pre-competitive collaboration of the main European coffee family businesses, the association aims to continue to contribute, with its experience and know-how, to a sustainable, more balanced and equal coffee sector in strategic countries.
This collective contribution is made through the implementation of best practice projects in communities of small coffee producers, empowering them to achieve a better and fairer life, as well as the ability and resilience to adapt to the different challenges they face. : poverty, lack of living conditions, climate change or lack of opportunities for young people.
Kathrine Löfberg, who leaves behind a seven-year term, which has been extended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, reflects on all the work that has been done, assuming that, on the ground and during this phase, it was possible to see the benefits results of ICP’s work with producers: “Despite the adversity experienced by families, who were already in a vulnerable situation, we found that those involved in ICP projects were able to react and mitigate the challenges posed by the pandemic more quickly.”
As of 2022, Kathrine Löfberg is now responsible for ICP’s new initiative, Coffe&Climate, which is more aimed at giving coffee producers tools so they can better adapt to climate issues.
Regarding ICP’s 20-year project, which will end in 2021, the same official added that all this experience allowed them to “learn not to look at coffee production in isolation, but family farming as a whole”, drawing attention to another extremely important point: “We adopt a holistic approach that includes younger generations, gender issues, off-farm activities and nature.”
More information about International Coffee Partners here.
