Swedish coffee group Löfbergs has developed a new subsidiary company to tackle the global coffee industry’s climate and environmental impacts.
The new company, GrowGrounds, aims to eliminate coffee’s negative CO2 impact and help restore nature through changing cultivation methods, establishing new forest systems, reducing the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and granting coffee farmers access to digital tools.
“We want to strengthen our efforts in sustainability and climate impact even further throughout our value chain, and contribute to a global change in coffee production, both for the sake of the climate and the environment and for the sake of coffee farmers,” says Löfbergs CEO Anders Fredriksson, who will be part of the GrowGrounds board.
GrowGrounds is led by three experienced coffee and sustainability professionals: CEO Lars Aaen Thøgersen – who comes from the position of Innovation Director with the responsibility for circular transformation for Löfbergs – Christina Singh, former international project manager at Löfbergs, and Poul David Videbæk, former director of Coop in Africa.
“Löfbergs has a long tradition of working to improve the conditions for both the natural environment in which coffee is grown and the people who produce it,” says Thøgersen.
“I am convinced though, that if we really want to make a difference and ultimately save the future of coffee, we must create radical changes at farm level. For instance, this is where 80 per cent of the total CO2 emissions from coffee production come from.”
The establishment of GrowGrounds is a significant step for Löfbergs towards its goal to reduce climate impact by 30 per cent before 2030.
“Today, the vast majority of coffee is grown in so-called monocultures, which is not good for the soil, and requires large amounts of artificial fertilisers and pesticides,” says Thøgersen.
“GrowGrounds work with coffee farmers all over the world to convert their production to agroforestry to ensure better conditions for both the soil, the coffee plants and nature in general.”
For more information, visit www.lofbergs.co.uk
