This milestone marks the culmination of years of dedicated work and close collaboration across the coffee value chain Julius Meinl has achieved its target of sourcing 100 per cent ‘Responsibly Selected…

This milestone marks the culmination of years of dedicated work and close collaboration across the coffee value chain

Julius Meinl has achieved its target of sourcing 100 per cent ‘Responsibly Selected Coffee’ for all products roasted in its two production plants in Vienna and Vicenza.

This milestone marks the culmination of years of dedicated work and close collaboration across the coffee value chain. It is the result of long-term partnerships with green coffee suppliers, a shared commitment to responsible sourcing, and a clear definition of what sustainability in coffee should mean.

At Julius Meinl, ‘Responsibly Selected Coffee’ means that every green coffee roasted in our own production meets internationally recognised sustainability criteria defined in the Coffee Sustainability Reference Code (Coffee SR Code) of the Global Coffee Platform (GCP). The GCP is a globally recognised multi-stakeholder organisation that brings the coffee sector together to drive collective action.

The Coffee SR Code sets a shared baseline for sustainability in coffee production. It is built around three dimensions and twelve principles, which form the basis of Julius Meinl’s approach to ‘Responsibly Selected Coffee’:

Economic: promoting good farm management and access to agricultural knowledge to strengthen farmers’ businesses.

Social: respecting human rights, including the protection of children, safe and fair working conditions, and positive contributions to local communities.

Environmental: safeguarding nature through biodiversity protection, responsible use of water and resources, pollution prevention and climate-related practices.

Through the GCP’s Equivalence Mechanism, supported by the International Trade Centre, suppliers’ sustainability initiatives and third-party certifications like Fairtrade that align with the Coffee SR Code can be recognised as equivalent. This reduces complexity and shifts the focus from comparing programmes to supporting meaningful improvements for farmers and their farms.