It marks five winning years in a row for Pact Coffee, and the company’s Buenos Aires Decaf was one of only seven decaf coffees to win a two-star award this year. 

Other winners were its seasonal single-origin, Rich & Chocolatey Christmas Filter, and its Single Estate Microlot Filter, which is available in Waitrose and Whole Foods stores. 

The Great Taste Awards is recognised as the Oscars of the specialty food and drink world. The unmistakable black and gold Great Taste logo is a sign many consumers look for when buying food and drink, and it’s a stamp of excellence that is recognised by retailers and consumers alike.

Tens of thousands of products are put past the judges every year in a blind tasting, and the judge’s said Pact’s Decaf Buenos Aires “wears its decaf nature very lightly”.

Will Corby, Pact’s Director of Coffee, said: “We’re thrilled to mark five years in a row of winning Great Taste Awards, and this year is particularly special to us”. 

“We’ve stuck to our guns on decaf coffee since we began, always roasting the same standard of coffee that’s on our non-decaf menu no more than seven days before delivery. This is a marked difference from a lot of other decaf on the market, and it’s fantastic to see it awarded with the famous black and gold logo”.

The award rounds off an eventful 12 months for Pact Coffee, who have launched in Waitrose and Whole Foods and roasted their highest annual total of coffee yet over the period. 

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The UK roaster launched the Arabica variety as a world-exclusive in 2020 in joint collaboration with Cenicafé National Research Centre, the FNC (Colombian Coffee Federation), and a number of Colombian coffee farmers that it works with on a long-term, direct-trade basis. 

Cenicafé 1 was developed as an answer to climate change in Colombia. It’s resistant to pests which thrive as the planet heats up and grows in these warmer temperatures, meaning farmers don’t need to deforest land further up the mountain to make ends meet.

Will Corby, Pact’s director of coffee and social impact, said, “First and foremost, I want to recognise the decades of work that Cenicafé put into developing this variety, as well as the trust they put in us to bring this to market as a single-varietal coffee for the very first time.

“It’s also down to María Olano, a true coffee expert and close friend of ours at the FNC, Cecilia Camacho, who was behind the first Cenicafé 1 coffee on our menu, and all other farmers that we’ve worked with who have taken the pioneering step to plant this variety to combat climate change”. 

“This is far from the sole achievement of Pact Coffee. No individual could have done this alone – and this only goes to show the importance of a direct-trade supply chain and what this can mean for sustainability.”

Cenicafé 1 is set to return to the Pact menu this autumn. 

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Every year, the conversations around sustainability increase, and the pressure is ever-growing from consumers and stakeholders for brands to truly act to futureproof our coffee and tea industries, as well as the planet itself, for future generations. This special section of our annual Sustainability Issue highlights some of the work and projects tea and coffee brands are undertaking to enact long-lasting change and impact. By Kathryn Brand

Efforts at origin

Clipper Teas is the United Kingdom’s first and longest-standing Fairtrade tea partner, values which have been intertwined with the brand since its inception. Clipper shares its mission with Fairtrade to raise awareness of the benefits of sustainable farming for people and the planet, informing its decision to also be certified organic. This year, Clipper launched its There’s Tea, Then There’s GOOD Tea campaign across Europe, aiming to highlight its brand story and show that it takes more than just taste to make good tea, specifically ethical and sustainable growing practices. At Clipper, this means supporting tea estates and smaller farms to become more sustainable, while paying workers fairer wages, including the Fairtrade Premium, which communities can spend in areas they decide are most needed.

Recently, Clipper’s Fairtrade Premium was used to fund an ambulance for a Mozambique tea estate. Over the past three decades, Clipper has contributed an estimated GBP £6.8 million to the Fairtrade Premium, and much of the tea bought by Clipper today is the same as 25 years ago, since when Clipper has supported the farms to become biodiverse and wildlife-friendly. Long-standing support and nurtured relationships with tea farmers is essential to their sustainability.

Sustainability at origin is not only crucial for the continuation and success of tea production, but for the people in the tea growing communities. This is evidenced in DavidsTea’s Nepal Water Project. The Canada-based tea brand recognises that clean water is not just a fundamental human right, but the essence of its product, from nurturing the Camellia sinensis plant, to brewing a cup of tea. DavidsTea has aligned itself with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. DavidsTea has joined forces with Jun Chiyabari, a key partner from which the company sources its Organic Nepal Black Tea, to tackle the clean drinking water issue in Jun Chiyabari Tea Garden in Nepal’s Dhunkuta district. The local government schools, crucial for the education and well-being of the community’s children, suffer from a lack of clean drinking water. This not only hampers the health of the students and staff but also affects their overall educational experience.

The collaboration began during DavidsTea’s 2020 Giving Week, in which it dedicated five percent of all loose leaf tea sales on 28 November to find clean water initiatives in Nepal. Jun Chiyabari then matched DavidsTea’s contribution, allowing it to expand the project to encompass not just three but four schools. In August 2021, Phase 1 was completed: the installation of sustainable water filtration systems in four schools, impacting over 3,200 children and staff. In March 2022, DavidsTea continued its commitment to the project, directing one percent of the proceeds from its Organic Nepal Black Tea to the mission, allowing it to begin Phase 2 in March 2024, through which it is aiming to bring clean water to two additional schools. This latest phase is expected to reach a further 862 students and staff across six schools in seven buildings.

Last year, illycaffè launched the first coffee produced through 100 percent regenerative agriculture. Brasile Arabica Selection Cerrado Mineiro is Regenagri certified, a third-party programme that certifies regenerative agriculture claims. It supports farms and organisations to transition to holistic farming techniques that increase soil organic matter, encourage biodiversity, sequester CO₂ and improve water and energy management. Italy-based illycaffè believes investing in the people who grow coffee is just as crucial in protecting the ecosystem and so funds a number of initiatives that further this goal:

• The Seeds for Progress Foundation helps to build new schools and offers training for teachers in Nicaragua;
• Reforestation in Colombia works to restore native vegetation, clean groundwater and improve the living environments for coffee growers;
• Farmer Field School is supporting women in Rwanda since 2019 when illycaffè financed the acquisition of a coffee plantation and planted around 2,500 certified-quality coffee plants to function as a Farmer Field School for 40 women coffee producers;
• Viveiro de Atitude programme helped build nursery housing for over 100 plant species in Brazil, preserving biodiversity and water resources as well as promoting environmental education in the country.

illy is investing in quality research and collaborating with a research project to: sequence the genome of Arabica coffee to help coffee growers adapt their plants to the changing climate conditions; it is building long-lasting relationships with growers based on knowledge-sharing and sustainable growth; and implementing a new certification protocol for coffee procurement, monitoring supply chains, guaranteeing the quality of the product, and protecting the environment and worker safety.

Pact Coffee has been fundraising reforestation projects and working only with farmers that follow sustainable practices for years, but in 2020 launched Cenicafé 1, a coffee variety developed over 20 years by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC). As the world heats up, many Arabica coffee varieties struggle to grow. These warmer temperatures also bring a higher likelihood of disease to coffee plants, plus the conditions that plant-killing pests thrive in. It’s a problem that’s forcing farmers to go higher up into the mountains, causing deforestation and economic hardship. Cenicafé 1 is resistant to a number of fungal diseases, can be grown all over Colombia, and offers a high density of coffee cherries, giving farmers greater harvests on small amounts of land. It has quickly achieved high cupping scores and this year Pact launched its first limited edition Cenicafé 1 from the Buenos Aires farm. UK-based Pact is working to widen the recognition of Cenicafé 1 to increase demand for the variety worldwide and show Colombian farmers that there’s a profitable future in a sustainable variety on their existing farms.

To assess and improve conditions across the global community of coffee growers, Peet’s Coffee has partnered with Enveritas. The non-profit organisation uses technology combining AI and satellite imagery with on-the-ground surveys to: conduct 20,000 sustainability audits of smallholders each year; invest in over 30 different impact projects spanning Central America, South America, and the Indo-Pacific; work with World Coffee Research to provide funding for genetic conservation of coffee; have 24 countries verified by Enveritas for responsible sourcing; and, as part of JDE Peet’s, work towards fully validated science-based targets to contribute effectively to the fight against climate change and be at the forefront of deforestation prevention and restoration.

California-based Peet’s engages with Enveritas each year to evaluate the impacts of its projects: in Guatemala, the company has partnered with TechnoServe to train smallholder coffee farmers in overcoming agronomic and economic hurdles impeding their businesses and livelihoods; in the biodiversity hotspot, Finca Don Bosco, Panama, Peet’s collaborates with Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center to protect migratory songbirds by ensuring canopy cover, tree height, and biodiversity; and Peet’s has constructed the Butterfly School Papua New Guinea Bunum-Wo Estate, serving as educational enrichment and health care learning for nearly 200 young children of the farm’s workforce and the surrounding community.

Despite challenges such as climate change and economic instability, over the past year, 99.7 percent of Traditional Medicinals’ herbs were certified organic, and 30.1 percent were fair-certified. The California-based company advised on the creation of the FairWild standard and Foundation, which sets standards for sustainable wild collections of medicinal plants, ensuring that plant material is harvested ethically, sustainably and transparently. Traditional Medicinals has set a goal of sourcing 80 percent fair-certified herbs by 2030, to which its Fair for Life certification marks significant progress. This year, the company has reinvested over USD $174,000 in fair premiums into source communities, a 10.6 percent increase from the previous year. Traditional Medicinals has invested a further $2 million to origin community projects, local non-profits and certification standards. In Zimbabwe, 4,000 people gained access to safe drinking water, 510 farmers in Madagascar were trained in sustainable agricultural practices, and 2,300 women in Egypt participated in health education.

In-House and the community

Birchall Tea has opened its brand-new fully solar-powered tea factory in Wiltshire, England. Its roof-top solar installation features more than 460 solar panels, which are capable of generating all the clean renewable electricity for its on-site operations. The purpose built, state of the art tea factory generates so much energy, that it even puts power back into the National Grid. In addition to this, in May 2020, Birchall achieved the Carbon Neutral International Standard, which means that all of its products are 100 percent carbon neutral.

Similarly, Equator Coffees has reduced its carbon emissions by 80 percent per roasted coffee batch through its investment in energy-efficient Loring Smart Roasters. Other sustainable practices Equator undertakes in its roastery include donating its burlap coffee bags to local farms, composting its chaff locally, and upcycling coffee excess with Extrafood. For its cafés, the California-based company is always looking out for partnerships and resources to improve its sustainability efforts. In 2023, Equator launched its Too Good To Go programme in five of its cafés, aiming to fight food waste by providing surplus food to customers at a reduced price. Equator plans to expand the programme across as many of its retail locations as possible. It continues to encourage its customers to get their drinks in for-here serve ware and use their own reusable cups in its cafés, offering a USD $0.25 discount for customers who bring their own cups, both of which have seen a significant use increase since 2022. The to-go cups and containers that Equator does offer are 100 percent compostable.

Sustainable packaging has long-been a priority for illy. Its cans and tins are made from recyclable metal, and it has recently launched its new certified ESE compostable coffee pods which come in illy’s three blends: Classico, Intenso and Decaffeinato. illy was also the first Italian coffee company to obtain a B-Corp certification.

Little’s is addressing packaging sustainability by becoming the first instant coffee company in UK supermarkets to go 100 percent plastic free. Its coffee pods and ground coffee bags are fully recyclable while its jars are of UK-made glass and aluminium lids. In 2022, Little’s moved its coffee capsule manufacturing from Europe to the UK so that all Little’s roasting and pod manufacturing is done in its on-site roaster, meaning it can both reduce its carbon footprint and be certain of good practices. As a result, the brand is on its way to being carbon neutral.

Since July 2023, Pact Coffee pouches have all been 100 percent recyclable. By being made from a single material, the bag is much easier to recycle into new plastics, and its low-density plastic design using a high proportion of recycled materials ensures it uses as little new plastic as possible. These bags also fund the ‘this bag saves’ project, which stops plastic bottles from entering our oceans. For every kilogramme of packaging purchased, ‘this bag saves’ recovers and recycles the equivalent of two plastic bottles from Asian rivers. Pact explains it chose this option over ‘compostable’ alternatives because around 90 percent of people in the UK do not have the means to compost at home, and compostable packaging can take years to break down, meaning most ends up in landfill or food waste, where it blocks the recycling process. Pact’s carbon footprint is then offset by SeaTrees, a project which protects and regenerates coastal eco-system by planting and restoring aquatic plants that are highly effective in absorbing carbon.

Fostering a better balance between nature and people is something Traditional Medicinals is working towards, with its Traditional Medicinals Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to help people live consciously connected to nature through two pillars: making herbal education accessible and fostering a mindset of stewardship through interacting with nature and conserving resources.

In 2023, Traditional Medicinals aligned with the Science Based targets initiative (SBTi), aiming to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 42 percent by 2030, and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The company also conducted a natural capital impact assessment that enabled it to identify, measure, and value direct and indirect impacts and dependencies on natural capital. The framework is crucial for understanding the dynamic relationships between organisations and the health of the natural world, which critically informs decision-making.

BioSense capsule. Image: AluSense

Suppliers commit to a greener future

As with the brands and companies they work with, suppliers to the coffee and tea industry are also passionate about utilising sustainable practices throughout the supply chain. This dedication to sustainability is reflected in multiple ways such as ethical sourcing, environmental protection, climate adaptation, energy efficiency and waste reduction. Below is a sampling of coffee and tea suppliers, which through their sustainable practices, are contributing to a healthier planet and a more sustainable future. By Aubrye McDonagh Leigh

IMA Coffee is committed to increasing sustainable practices to reduce roasting emissions and test alternative packaging materials, implementing advanced eco-friendly solutions throughout the industrial process to rise to the challenge of coffee sustainability. Over the past few years, IMA’s approach to sustainability has led to the design and adaptation of packaging technologies to effectively handle compostable materials, in collaboration with important partners in the field.

Recently, Italy-based IMA Coffee, in partnership with Minnesota-based NatureWorks, a leading manufacturer of polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymers made from renewable resources, developed a new compostable coffee pod solution compatible with Keurig brewers for the North American market. For the rigid capsule body, NatureWorks was able to combine non-compounded, highly crystalline, and heat resistant Ingeo PLA grades with a refined single-stage thermoforming process to achieve production rates comparable to incumbent polypropylene (PP) capsules. The rigid thermoformed capsule was then combined with a non-woven filter and multi-layer top lidding solution, also made with Ingeo. The use of one primary material through all three components of a coffee pod is more cost effective and offers greater consistency when heat sealing the components together, thus preserving the taste and aroma of the enclosed coffee.

The collaboration between NatureWorks and IMA, bolstered by IMA OPENLab, the group’s network of technological laboratories and testing facilities, laid the groundwork for a new market-ready coffee pod solution. Multiple studies and tests on the new compostable material and its performance throughout the packaging process have led to the proper configuration of IMA’s coffee-pod filling and sealing machines, enabling them to handle the rigid capsule, filter, and multi-layered top lid made of Ingeo PLA biopolymer with high precision. This will facilitate the easy setup of new production lines, thereby offering a turnkey compostable and sustainable solution at high production speeds, ensuring high-quality brewing.

With the world’s largest production capacity for empty Nespresso-compatible aluminium coffee capsules, AluSense products are distributed in over 80 countries. The Belgium-based company offered the first capsule made from 80 percent recycled aluminium, boasting CO₂-neutral accreditation to ensure zero environmental impact.

AluSense’s latest innovation, BioSense capsules, are 100 percent bio-based and compatible with all Nespresso Original Machines. These empty capsules mark a significant step towards sustainability without compromising on quality. The mono-body design and custom dome shape of BioSense capsules allow for packing over 20 percent more coffee into each capsule, the highest volume in the home-compostable market. These capsules also provide exceptional protection against oxygen and moisture, ensuring coffee retains its rich flavour.

BioSense home-compostable coffee capsules are made entirely from second-generation end-use bio-based materials, free from PLA, plastic, oil, bisphenol A, or fossil fuels. Their fully compostable nature is validated by the OK compost HOME certification. BioSense also holds certifications from Hansecontrol, SGS, TUV, ISSC, and CO₂ Neutral.

Descafeinadores Mexicanos (Descamex)’s sustainability strategy is based on three main pillars: the community, the environment and the people. Its sustainable practices include:

• Certifications: Since 2007, Descamex has been certified by the Rainforest Alliance and Bird Friendly. With these, it directly and indirectly employs better agricultural practices.
• Social Responsibility Badges: Since 2005, the company has maintained the ESR badge (Socially Responsible Company), seeking to promote social responsibility and is one of the three SMEs in Mexico that has had the badge the longest. In 2024, Descamex finalised its SMETA four pillars audit and is now 100 percent compliant.
• Planting of trees: Through its volunteer programme, Descamex planted 135 fruit trees between April 2023 and April 2024.
• Energy efficiency: Descamex uses the energy storage system obtained with cleaner generation methods (hydroelectric) with a monthly impact that stops the emission of 27.6 tons of CO2, equivalent to planting 1,660 trees.
• Waste management: At the end of 2023, Descamex’s recycling rate was 87 percent, the coffee powder generated is donated as fertiliser to the coffee plantation, which improves the soil quality.

Mexico-based Descamex also supports World Coffee Research, which unites the global coffee industry to drive science based agricultural solutions to urgently secure a diverse and sustainable supply of quality coffee today and for generations to come.

Kloth & Köhnken Teehandel GmbH offers fine teas, sophisticated formulations and flavoured/scented tea innovations and has espoused sustainable values since its formation. The Germany-based company believes that sustainable actions cannot be decreed, rather it is a learning process. FairBioTea is a private sector initiative focused on the development of healthy and sustainable, fair and ecological tea production operations and industry. Through its FairBioTea development partnerships, Kloth & Köhnken actively supports Chinese tea farmers who are growing sustainably and improving their quality management.

Since 2007, together with selected tea gardens, Kloth & Köhnken has been helping to make farming more ecological, transparent and sustainable. The company is especially proud of its long-standing cooperations in tea-producing countries where its partners dictate the pace at which they adopt environmentally friendly practices. Through FairBioTea, Kloth & Köhnken establishes a fair and reliable framework for transparent, sustainable tea production, culminating in a premium product.

Most teas Kloth & Köhnken purchases are certified (Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, organic and Fairbiotea). Its certified products exceed the EU organic regulations, and their cultivation also encompasses land use and nutrient cycles, which in the long term will help preserve soil fertility.
Additionally, for more than three years, Kloth & Köhnken’s sustainability team has been working to implement all requirements for the new German due diligence law and for the European regulations to come. This includes the Code of Conduct, which defines internal company requirements as well as minimum standards for environmental, social and ethical obligations. The Code of Conduct is the basis for developing a business relationship with Kloth & Köhnken, which supports companies that take care of their business sustainably, treat their employees well and protect the environment.

Furthermore, under the motto ‘K&K Goes Green’, the topic of sustainability will become more of a focus for Kloth & Köhnken and internal processes will be optimised and made more efficient. This includes asking all employees for suggestions and ideas and raising awareness for a more sustainable way of living.

As the world faces unprecedented environmental challenges, the importance of sustainable agricultural practices cannot be overstated. Australian Native Products (ANP) promotes sustainability through its cultivation and processing of lemon myrtle. The Australia-based company’s efforts are not just about meeting market demands but also about ensuring the health of our planet and the well-being of future generations.

ANP’s Environmental Management Policy underscores its commitment to optimising quality produce while enhancing the sustainability of natural agricultural resources. This policy is built on several key pillars:

• Resource Efficiency: Implementing precision farming techniques, optimising irrigation practices, and striving to minimise energy consumption by utilising renewable energy sources whenever possible. Soil conservation measures such as mulching and utilising waste stream materials in composting are also employed.
• Biodiversity Conservation: ANP creates wildlife habitats, maintains natural ecosystems, and minimises the use of pesticides and herbicides that may harm non-target species. Its agricultural practices are designed to support, rather than hinder, biodiversity.
• Waste Reduction: Strategies to reduce, reuse, and recycle farm waste are integral to ANP’s operations, such as composting product waste and minimising packaging waste.

ANP has also implemented a Climate Adaptation Strategy, which involves:

• Climate-Smart Practices: Utilising climate-smart agricultural practices to ensure sustainable production. This includes the use of organic and biodynamic principles to maintain plant health and soil fertility, minimising the need for chemical inputs.
• Carbon Sequestration: ANP farms contribute significantly to carbon sequestration. Its Lemon Myrtle trees absorb substantial amounts of CO₂ annually, helping to mitigate its carbon footprint.

ANP has achieved the Union for Ethical Biotrade (UEBT) and Rainforest Alliance (RA) ingredient certification for its Lemon Myrtle leaf products. Furthermore, ANP ensures that all its organic products meet the highest standards, maintaining the expectations of consumers and complying with a range of organic standards.

Looking ahead, ANP is committed to implementing its Biodiversity Action Plan, exploring adaptable cultivars, and investing in innovation for better processing mechanisms.

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House Blend is 100% specialty-grade and it’s blended by the London roaster to bring natural, indulgent chocolate flavours with every brew. 

The blend has been available through Pact’s subscription and online store for the past five years, and it’s now joined Pact’s other two lines, Bourbon Cream Espresso and Single Estate Microlot, on Waitrose shelves. 

Sophie Sheach, Pact Coffee’s director of growth, said, “House Coffee is our way to introduce customers to the wonderful world of specialty coffee at a pocket-friendly price. Specialty coffee is like the fine wine of the coffee world, and customers enjoying our House Coffee will taste a huge step up in quality for just a few pence difference per cup.”

Consumers can buy it as ground coffee or Nespresso-compatible pods.

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The London speciality-coffee roaster was paying a minimum of GBP £1.75 per lb before this point, and this change came at the same time as Fairtrade International’s price increase, which was up from $1.40 to $1.80 per lb. 

Prior to August 2023, the Fairtrade base price didn’t cover Fairtrade’s estimated cost of production for farmers, which was, based on the 2021 harvest, $1.76.  

Now, the Fairtrade minimum price covers the estimated cost of production, and certified farmers can also benefit from Fairtrade Premiums, which are additional sums of money invested in projects to improve productivity, climate adaptation, quality, infrastructure, and community services. 

Will Corby, Pact Coffee’s director of coffee and social impact, said:

“As coffee farmers face even tougher economic conditions due to climate change, increasing production costs and inflation, this is a massive change for good, and this is down to the fantastic work of the brilliant people at Fairtrade International.”

“But it’s not compatible with our sourcing model. Fairtrade requires that farmers join cooperatives to get certified. This doesn’t work for many of the small, independent farmers we’ve forged strong, mutually beneficial relationships with over a decade, and we’re sticking by them.”

“For some of these farmers, becoming Fairtrade certified would be too costly, require leaving their farms, and, ultimately, come at the expense of quality.”

“So we’ve instead raised our minimum price to $2 per pound to cover this increase while recognising the extra $0.20 Fairtrade Premium. As always, all of this will go directly to the farmer.”

“This way, we’re encouraging the pursuit of outstanding speciality coffee, while adhering to the Fairtrade Minimum Price and, in many instances, paying significantly more.”

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Hernández’s father, Ricaurte, was the winner of the first ever Colombian Cup of Excellence and ran the farm until, tragically, he was killed by a paramilitary group while defending his farm in 2013. 

Oscar Hernández then left the Navy and returned to the farm, recruited his microbiologist sister and brother in law, and took a scientific approach to coffee which now brings widely admired natural left-of-field tasting notes.

The limited edition set contains 100g sachets of the five coffees that Hernández calls “the DNA of the farm.”

Each set comes with a booklet, detailing the innovative approach to each of the coffees, their tasting notes, and the full story behind the farm, plus a guide on how to taste speciality coffee. 

Jonny Gagel, Pact’s head roaster, said: “Roasters all over the world are queueing up for Oscar’s coffee for good reason. These are genuinely some of the most fascinating coffees I’ve tasted in a long time.” 

“There are flavours of cola, lemon, ginger, cherries, and much more. It’s an ambitious roasting project, and I can’t wait to get started.”

The set is available for pre-order from 11 April for and ships from 18 April. Customers can pre-order the set to save £5 and buy it for £24.95. 

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A dark roast as indulgent as the classic biscuit, Pact Cofffee’s Bourbon Cream Espresso offers creamy and chocolatey flavours. It will be available as ground coffee, wholebean and in pod form.

The Fruit & Nut Espresso will also be available ground and in pod form. It has a fuller body and a more caramelised flavour profile, with hints of milk chocolate, dried fruit and almonds – characteristics that naturally exist in the coffee.

The Single Estate Microlot Filter will be available as ground coffee only.

All the lines are 100% specialty grade and ethically sourced directly from farmers. The Single Estate Microlot Filter has been sourced directly from Kibirizi Washing Station – a collective of 1,130 farmers that each have less than a hectare of land, on average. It’s common for each farmer to tend to the coffee trees along with fruit and vegetables on their small farms, and the cooperative supports its members with agricultural training, loans and advances in gender equity.

Paul Turton, CEO of Pact Coffee, said: “We couldn’t be more proud to be making Waitrose our grocery home, as we look to provide more consumers with the opportunity to enjoy the taste of some of the world’s best specialty-grade coffee.

“We’re fully aligned with Waitrose in that we’re constantly searching for the highest quality possible, whilst at the same time prioritising recognition and remuneration of the producer.

“Most exciting of all, every bean sold will make a huge difference to the lives of farmers and their families at its origin. Our coffee has the potential to be a tool for significant economic change, and we’re thrilled to have Waitrose on board with our mission and vision.”

The listing follows a spate of exciting developments for Pact Coffee. Last year, its Surrey roastery became carbon-neutral and the company achieved B Corp status. It also paid 76% above the 2022 Fairtrade base price. More recently, the roaster received awards for six of its products.

The Bourbon Cream Espresso and Fruit & Nut Espresso will be on sale with an RRP of GBP £6.95 per 200g bag (ground and wholebean) or 14 x Nespresso Compatible Pods. The Single Estate Microlot Filter will be available for £7.50 RRP.

A promotional offer of 20% off all lines will be running from 16 October to 28 November 2023.

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Pact Coffee won awards for six of its products at the 2023 Great Taste Awards. Its Fazenda Reis received a two-star rating, whilst its Bourbon Cream Espresso, Bourbon Cream Pods, Decaf Bourbon Cream Pods, House Coffee Espresso and Christmas Blend Espresso were awarded one star each.

Often described as the Oscars of the food world, the Great Taste Awards is the acknowledged benchmark for fine food and drink. The unmistakable black and gold Great Taste logo is a sign people can trust when buying local food and drink, and is a stamp of excellence that is recognised by retailers and consumers alike.

With tens of thousands of products put through the competition’s blind judging process, Pact Coffee’s range of ethical, speciality-grade blends were a hit with the esteemed Great Taste judges, and dubbed “delicious and a fabulous example of well-made Brazilian coffee”.

Will Corby, Pact Coffee’s director of coffee and social impact, said: “We are always delighted to be recognised at the Great Taste Awards and we are pleased to see that each year, more and more Pact Coffee products have been given stars – this is our best year yet in terms of number of awards.

“Alongside sustainability, great flavour has always been at the heart of everything we do at Pact Coffee. Receiving six Great Taste Awards is a testament to that, and we’re proud to display the familiar black and gold logo on our winning products, which include a mix of new and well-known products from our range.”

The award wins add to an exciting year for Pact Coffee. Earlier this month, the coffee roaster announced that it paid farmers, on average, 76% above the 2022 Fairtrade base price and released recyclable packaging that funds plastic bottle collection from ocean-bound Asian rivers.

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The UK-based roaster’s new single-material bags are 100% recyclable and made from 70% recycled materials, which are plastics commonly disposed of in recycling bins.

For every 1,000,000 bags created, the equivalent of 53,000 600ml plastic bottles will be collected from rivers in the Philippines and Indonesia by the ethical recycling programme, Plastic Bank.

Paul Turton, Pact Coffee’s CEO, said: “If climate change continues at its current trajectory, it’s estimated that we’ll see a significant impact on 75% of Arabica supply, which has already fallen short of demand for the past two years”.

“Plastic pollution significantly reduces ecosystems’ ability to adapt to climate change, so reducing our usage, promoting a circular economy and funding schemes like this bag saves is exactly what we need to do to protect the future of coffee and the planet.

There was the option to instead choose ‘compostable’ packaging, and we understand that this is the preference for well-meaning customers.

However, around 90% of people don’t have the means to compost at home, and the growing data shows that lots of this packaging is ending up in landfill or blocking the food recycling process.

For this reason, we’re confident that we’ve chosen the most sustainable option while maintaining the trademark Pact Coffee freshness”.

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