The week of October 17 to 21, representatives of the Lavazza Group visited Ecuador. During these days, Verónica Rossi, Sustainability and Institutional Relations Manager; Carolina Guercio, Project and Institutional Relations Specialist, and Michel Pulcher, Trainer and Barista of Lavazza, together with the authorities of the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE), the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), the Management and the technical team of PROAmazonía and representatives of UNDP Ecuador and UNDP Regional, held meetings in Quito and made a  tour of the coffee plantations of Zamora Chinchipe.

Photos: Communication Unit – PROAmazonía
Descripción: Lavazza Group Visit.

On this occasion, the State Portfolios of the Environment and Agriculture generated a work agenda to address issues related to the sustainable and deforestation-free production.

Over three years, in a unique alliance between the business sector and the National Government with the support of international cooperation, Lavazza has contributed significantly to the consolidation of the REDD+ policy in Ecuador, a strategy to fight climate change and conserve forests. This Italian companny has participated in the definition and national standard of sustainable and deforestation-free production, with its active collaboration in the public consultations led by the MAATE and the MAG.

It has also contributed, together with UNDP,  to a plan for the exchange of experiences and training  at the level of technicians from the Ministries, PROAmazonía and coffee producers in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Additionally, in July 2022, the first 17-ton container of Arabica coffee with a certification in sustainable and deforestation-free production from Ecuador was exported to LAVAZZA, from two Zamoranean organizations: APECAP and ACRIM.

“We are happy to have this visit in Ecuador”, said Karina Barrera, Undersecretary of Climate Change, who highligted the importance of these commercial alliances, as an incentive to promote sustainable and deforestation-free production “This has a great impact on the conservations of forests in our country” she emphasized.

Photos: Communication Unit – PROAmazonía
Descripción: Lavazza Group Visit.

The Agro-artisanal Asssociation of high grown coffee ecological producers of the Palanda Canton – APECAP, in the province of Zamora Chinchipe prepared its farms and collection center with great enthusiasm to receive the representatives of Lavazza and the delegation of UNDP-PROAmazonía. Likewise, a tour of the Fecapes facilities in Catamayo was made and a meeting was held with the six grassroots organizations of this Federation of coffee producers of the South.

“We have 32  sustainability projects in 20 coffee-producing countries, because we think that our company should work on social and environmental sustainability. It’s the life of the company! Ecuador is an interesting country because it is a mega diverse country; it is focusing on specialty coffee and we like that a lot. It can be an example for the whole coffee world”.  Verónica Rossi said when touring Gonzalo’s farm, producer of APECAP.

In the future it is expected to potentiate coffee commercialization between Ecuador and Italy, generate a line of Coffee from Ecuador under the Lavazza brand and participate in the Flagships Stores of Lavazza in countries such as England, United States, China and Italy.

Photos: Communication Unit – PROAmazonía
Descripción: Lavazza Group Visit.