Press release -

​​Focus on coffee when Sodexo further invests in Fairtrade

Sodexo in Sweden served more than 16 million cups of Fairtrade certified coffee last year. The services company is now taking the next step in its sustainability work. Only coffee that is Fairtrade certified will be served in Sodexo's own restaurants from now on.

Sodexo wants to play an important part in the financial and social development of local communities as well as improve the quality of life for people who live in deprivation. That is why the company has formulated a global and long-term plan for a better future: Better Tomorrow Plan. One part of the continuous work is to increase the share of Fairtrade certified goods.

- We want to actively contribute to the positive development of local communities. Our further investment in Fairtrade makes it possible for farmers and employees in countries with widespread poverty to improve their working and living conditions, says Azita Shariati, CEO for Sodexo in Sweden.

- Sodexo focuses on the fact that coffee can both taste and do good, which is a great and important decision that hopefully can inspire other actors to contribute to a positive development, says Lars Appelqvist, CEO of Sodexo's coffee supplier Löfbergs.

Fairtrade is an independent certification and coffee is the largest product group in monetary terms in Sweden. Fairtrade guarantees a minimum price for the coffee farmer and a premium for the cooperative.

- The consumption of Fairtrade in Sweden is really making a difference and generated more than SEK 50 million last year in extra premiums alone to fund education for health professionals, the building of schools and the opportunity for farmers to convert to organic production. I am delighted that a big company such as Sodexo attaches great importance to consumption of socially sustainable products, says Magdalena Streijffert, secretary-general of Fairtrade Sweden.

World Fair Trade Day is acknowledged on 9th of May this year - a day when people all over the world focus on fair trade.

Contact:

Eva Kristensson, Communications Director, Sodexo, +46 (0) 8 578 859 63, eva.kristensson@sodexo.com

Magdalena Streijffert, Secretary General, Fairtrade Sweden, +46 (0) 70 243 33 10, magdalena.streijffert@fairtrade.se

Anders Thorén, Communications Manager, Löfbergs, +46 (0) 70 355 64 22, anders.thoren@lofbergs.se

***

Translation from Swedish. Please find the original press release here: http://se.sodexo.com/sesv/media/pressrum/news.aspx#/pressreleases/kaffe-i-fokus-naer-sodexo-satsar-vidare-paa-fairtrade-1153892

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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.

Contacts

Anders Thorén

Anders Thorén

Press contact Head of Group PR & Communications +46 703 55 64 22

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