2024 was a year when climate change, poor harvests, and rising green coffee prices hit the coffee industry hard. Despite this, Löfbergs chose to continue investing in sustainability. According to Anders Fredriksson, CEO of Löfbergs, staying committed to sustainability requires both courage and a long-term perspective.
When Anders Löfberg and his brothers Josef and John started their coffee roastery in Karlstad in 1906, they laid the foundation for something bigger than perhaps they could imagine. But one thing was clear from the beginning – the business should be built on sustainable values. This is a principle that still lives on, and a principle that Kathrine Löfberg is passionate about passing on.
The ICP Annual Report 2023 highlights support for over 36,000 coffee farming households, promoting sustainable practices and women's participation. Key achievements include increased climate-friendly farming methods and income diversification, enhancing resilience among smallholder farmers across several coffee-producing nations.
Löfbergs has engaged in The Coffee Sustainability Program, emphasizing collective responsibility in the coffee industry. Participants, including experts and farmers, explored sustainability challenges and historical impacts, gaining new insights to enhance their sustainability efforts and broaden their coffee knowledge.
The world of Löfbergs revolves round coffee. The great taste of course, but also the genuine interest and the knowledge that we have built since 1906. But that is not worth anything if we do not take care of each other and our planet. Which is why sustainability is and always has been important to us.
Maritime freight is a smart alternative to air freight, but often goes under the radar when companies map their Scope 3 emissions. The purchased goods often generate the most emissions, while the emissions of the freight, are proportionately low. But it is still good and important that there now are solutions to make maritime freights fossil-free. It is smart to pick a low-hanging first.
The non-profit partnership International Coffee Partners (ICP) has announced its new Chair: Rui Miguel Nabeiro, CEO of Grupo Nabeiro/Delta Cafés, Portugal. He is taking over the role from Kathrine Löfberg, Chair of the Board at Löfbergs, Sweden, who was in office for the past six years.
There is a need for increased justice in the value chain and we work with that in several different ways. For instance, certifications. We imported the first container of organic coffee to Sweden in 1995. Today we are one of the world’s largest buyers and roaster of organic and Fairtrade coffee today.
Working with certifications means that an independent party controls the farm, that the produ
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
A fair growth on commercial terms, where fundamental human rights are respected, is a prerequisite for sustainable development, and to contribute to a more fair, performance-driven and transparent value chain is at core in our sustainability work. We aim to be a driving force when it comes to creating better possibilities for coffee farmers and their communities around the world.
The circular transformation must extend outside of our own business to make a real difference. We want to involve both coffee farmers and consumers, and everyone in between, on our journey ahead. But we do not have all the solutions yet, and we have to work innovatively both internally and externally to find them.
Sustainability has always been important for us at Löfbergs, ever since we started in 1906. It permeates our entire business and everything we do. We are proud of how far we have come in some areas, but there is still left to be done in others. Our aim towards continuous sustainability improvement characterises our whole culture.
