"The ambition is to transform the coffee industry and improve the farmers' opportunities"

The coffee industry faces great challenges, and many coffee farmers are struggling every day to survive financially. It is threatening the livelihoods and makes fewer young people see a future as coffee farmers, which in the long run can decrease the access to coffee. We work in many ways in our own value chain, for example through supplier follow-ups, development projects and certifications. But we have always had a greater ambition – to change the entire coffee industry and improve the possibilities of the farmers.

A year has passed since Löfbergs, as the first roaster in the world, joined Era of We, a digital platform that brings farmers, roasters and consumers together. This is where coffee farmers can build their own brands and market themselves directly towards consumers and coffee roasters. It creates a more balanced value chain with more power for the coffee farmers, as they themselves lay down the conditions.

The platform tears down language barriers and enables contact between all stakeholders in the value chain. The digital dimension facilitates sharing of information and simple communication, which allows for a better understanding for the farmers’ challenges, such as climate change and the possibilities for the next generation to take over.

As the farmers can market the unique characteristics of their coffee, Era of We contributes to increase the total value for the farmers. Era of We creates direct relationships between coffee farmers and our customers, completely without intermediaries. It enables new business models – our customers are always looking for new products and services that can strengthen their brand and business and Era of We is therefore an obvious channel for them.

We cannot change the coffee industry by ourselves, we need help. The cup of coffee in your hand is a result of hard work and extensive knowledge and should be treated as such. You can be a part of the change by entering the platform Era of We and explore the possibilities.

Malin Helgman
Head of Digital Innovation, Löfbergs