… At the forefront of some of the most bitter, groundless attacks on the EUDR were major coffee companies and EU coffee industry lobby groups. Letters shared by insider sources reveal the hostile lobbying that the coffee industry organized against the EUDR, which helped bamboozle Germany and Austria into attacking the EUDR. This lobbying was carried out by the German Coffee Federation, which includes 4C, Dallmayr, Fairtrade Deutschland, Melitta, Rainforest Alliance, and Segafredo; and by the European Coffee Federation, which represents 700 companies including titans such as ECOM, Illycaffè, Lavazza, Nestlé, Starbucks, and Tchibo. Multiple leading European associations for food, drinks and commodities, including coffee, have written to the EU Commission, deploring the challenges in implementing the EUDR.

But at the eleventh hour, on Dec. 3, 2024, the EUDR was salvaged…

Many coffee companies have the building blocks in place to comply with the EUDR, even if the blocks are a bit broken and need some fixing. For example, many major coffee companies such as Nestlé, JDE Peet’s and Starbucks have existing — and often long-established — commitments to exclude deforestation and slavery from their supply chains. However, few of the certification schemes they rely on truly guarantee deforestation-free coffee… it’s clear that certifications must up their game to become serious building blocks for EUDR compliance…