Sara Lee Launches Ambitious Five-Year Sustainable Coffee Plan

“By providing coffee growers visibility five years out and publicly committing to buy very large quantities of certified coffee we can contribute to improve sustainability in the mainstream coffee market worldwide.”

1/11/2011 --- Sara Lee Corp. announced a new five-year initiative to boost its sustainable commodity program. In the past five years Sara Lee has become the world’s largest buyer of UTZ CERTIFIED Good Inside coffee thanks to cumulative purchases of more than 110 million kilos of the commodity. Today the company committed to more than triple that amount in the next five years and purchase at least 350 million kilos across all its markets and product segments. The company estimates its sustainability investments can deliver to coffee farmers, their associations and representatives up to $100 million of income over and above what they would have earned by selling uncertified coffee beans in the open market.

“Sara Lee’s long-term goal is to use only certified coffee and tea in all products worldwide, and this new aggressive five-year plan is a very important step in accelerating our progress,” said Frank van Oers, chief executive officer of Sara Lee’s international beverage and bakery businesses. “By providing coffee growers visibility five years out and publicly committing to buy very large quantities of certified coffee we can contribute to improve sustainability in the mainstream coffee market worldwide.”

By 2015 Sara Lee will have more than 20% of its entire annual coffee volume certified sustainable, a percentage currently unmatched by its peers among the largest mainstream coffee manufacturers. Sara Lee ranks third worldwide in coffee volume behind Nestlé and Kraft Foods, and ahead of other leading firms such as The J.M. Smucker Company and Tchibo. Sara Lee’s portfolio of coffee brands includes market leaders such as DOUWE EGBERTS, MAISON DU CAFÉ, SENSEO, MARCILLA and MERRILD.

Sara Lee announced also that it is expanding the number of sustainable certification partners with which it works. Although the UTZ CERTIFIED Foundation will remain Sara Lee’s main partner for sustainable certification, the company will liaise occasionally with other programs such as certified organic or Rainforest Alliance.