The world’s largest pure-play coffee and tea company, JDE Peet’s, is among seven new commitments United States Vice President Kamala Harris has announced to support economic development in northern Central America.
The commitments were announced as part of the Call to Action she launched on 27 May for businesses and social enterprises to make new, significant commitments to sustainably address the root causes of migration by promoting economic opportunity.
To date, businesses and social enterprises have invested more than US$1.2 billion in response to the Vice President’s launch of the Call to Action.
The Vice President announced these new commitments during a virtual event co-hosted by the State Department and the US Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Partnership for Central America.
Drawing over 1300 business, government, and civil society leaders from across the region and the United States, she encouraged more companies to respond to the Call.
JDE Peet’s is a long-standing partner of United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The region is strategically important for JDE Peet’s portfolio, home to unique Arabica coffees that are essential to its leading portfolio of coffee brands such as LÓR, Peet’s, and Senseo.
Through its Common Grounds program, JDE Peet’s is announcing plans to increase its financial support for smallholder farmers in the region by 40 per cent.
This support will be provided through the implementation of a new series of sustainability programs throughout the Central American coffee belt, in partnership with the Coffee Alliance of Excellence (CAFE).
The new support programs will include technical expertise, intended to allow for increased productivity, adaptation to the effects of climate change, diversification of incomes, and improved access to markets and credit.
The increased contribution from JDE Peet’s will enable CAFE to reach 10,000 additional smallholder coffee farming households, doubling its active footprint in the region.
To learn more, visit the White House website.
