Press release -
An extra SEK 38 million to Fairtrade farmers
With social and eco-receipts, Löfbergs wants to show coffee lovers that buying organic and Fairtrade labelled coffee makes a difference. In 2014, Löfbergs's customers contributed to the Fairtrade cooperatives getting an extra premium of SEK 38 million.
Löfbergs's work with making the effects of organic and Fairtrade labelled coffee clearer is appreciated by Fairtrade Sweden.
- We notice that Swedish consumers are getting more conscious in their choice of consumption, but they also want to know what difference they can make with their purchases. Showing the difference you are making as a consumer when buying Fairtrade labelled coffee from Löfbergs is an inspiring example, says Magdalena Streijffert, secretary-general at Fairtrade Sweden.
Hope that more will choose sustainable products
Except developing receipts for its own purchases, Löfbergs also provides restaurant and café customers with receipts that show their own as well as their consumers’ contribution.
- Our social and eco-receipts make it easy to understand your contribution by choosing sustainable coffee. We hope that it will help restaurants, cafés and consumers to choose certified products to a greater extent, says Lars Appelqvist, CEO at Löfbergs.
Löfbergs purchased about 6,400 metric tons of organic coffee and 4,500 metric tons from Fairtrade certified farms in 2014.
- It feels great that we can show our consumers that they contribute with an extra SEK 38 million to Fairtrade farmers and that areas equivalent to 12,600 football fields are converted to organic production, says Lars Appelqvist.
Europe's most sustainable coffee group
Löfbergs purchased the first container of organic coffee in 1995; the family-owned coffee roaster also started selling Fairtrade labelled coffee a few years later. The share of certified coffee has steadily increased ever since.
- Coffee from certified farms is an important stage in our ambition to be Europe's most sustainable coffee group. We purchase all coffee straight from the producing countries, and on our travels we see with our own eyes that the certifications make a difference for people as well as the environment, says Lars Appelqvist.
Löfbergs is one of the world's largest purchasers of organic and Fairtrade labelled coffee. The entire Löfbergs assortment has a label (organic, Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance) since the autumn of 2014.
For more information:
Anders Thorén, Communications Manager, Löfbergs, +46 (0) 54 14 01 10, anders.thoren@lofbergs.se
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Löfbergs's eco-receipt
By purchasing organic coffee during 2014, Löfbergs's customers contributed to:
- The reduction of use of fertilizer with 1,318 metric tons (reduces eutrophication).
- The reduction of use of pesticides with 133 metric tons (positive for the biodiversity).
- The conversion of an area equivalent to 12,600 football fields to organic production.
The method of calculation is developed by U&We through funding from the Swedish Consumer Agency.
Löfbergs's social receipt
- By purchasing Fairtrade labelled coffee during 2014, Löfbergs contributed to:
- An extra premium to the cooperatives equivalent to SEK 16.3 million.
- Increased revenues for organic production with SEK 21.5 million.
The premium is used for example for health insurance, education and building hydropower stations that provide the households with electricity to low-energy bulbs that are used for studying in the evening.
Topics
Löfbergs is one of the largest family-owned coffee roasters in the Nordic countries. The company has 300 employees and a turnover of SEK 1.5 billion. The head office is situated in Karlstad, Sweden and the company has its own roasting-houses in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Latvia. The company was founded in 1906 and is today one of the world's largest importers of ecological and Fairtrade labelled coffee. Löfbergs also owns the tea brand Kobbs.