25 Years International Coffee Partners
25 Years of Commitment for Resilient Coffee Farming Families and Communities
International Coffee Partners (ICP) – comprising Delta Cafés of Portugal, Franck of Croatia, Joh. Johannson Kaffe of Norway, Lavazza of Italy, Löfbergs of Sweden, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe of Germany, and Tchibo of Germany – celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. In 2001, during the devastating coffee crisis, a group of dedicated European coffee companies decided to cooperate pre-competitively to support resilient coffee farming and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farming families. In the past 25 years, the six ICP shareholders have invested 25 million Euros in ICP activities mobilizing additional resources from donor organizations and other partners for fostering effective solutions that lead to meaningful change.
25 Years of Meaningful Change
In 2026, ICP is marking 25 years of continuous support for smallholder coffee farming families and communities. Back in 2001, ICP has embarked on a continuous learning journey with its project work based on the realities of smallholder farmers with all their complexities and needs. The idea is to understand the farmers’ perspectives, meet their expectations, and encourage their ownership. This led to the development of a holistic approach in which ICP focuses its activities not only on productivity and quality of coffee but truly emphasizes the comprehensive livelihood situation of smallholder families addressing family business, farmer organizations, climate resilience, youth engagement, gender equity and equal participation of women and men in decision making.
"Our partnership has invested 25 million Euros in ICP activities in the past 25 years promoting meaningful change. Making coffee farming resilient and securing a more prosperous future for farmer families and communities are issues we all need to work on together. It was and it is clear to us that by bundling know-how and resources among us and with farmer communities we can achieve more."
"In 1999, I began working towards a joint development initiative, which lead to the foundation of ICP in 2001. The basis was responsible family entrepreneurship on the part of the European shareholders. The aggregation of each individual shareholder’s sustainability efforts into one package offered clear advantages. It is impressive to realize that its entrepreneurial and ethical approach bore fruit for 25 years in 2026. This exemplifies how consistent and collaborative efforts can lead to meaningful holistic change for the benefit of our partners, the smallholder coffee farming communities in Africa and many other countries."
Impact on the Ground: Improved Coffee Farming and Livelihoods
Since 2001, more than 125,700 farming families have been engaged in ICP projects in 13 coffee producing countries. Sustainable agricultural practices and diversified production systems at the farm level have supported smallholder families to improve coffee farming. Tools and practices to support adaptation have enhanced the resilience of farming families in the face of changing climate conditions. Smallholder farmers have been supported in growing additional crops to diversify their production for their own food security and to successfully market their products to generate additional family income, and improve their livelihoods.
To this end, working towards establishing and professionalizing farmer organizations and cooperatives has turned out crucial as they provide member farmers access to relevant services and competitive markets. Since 2001, ICP has worked with more than 2,700 farmer organizations across its project regions, supporting the establishment of new organizations and the further development of existing ones.
With designated trainings, women and youth have been strengthened to participate in decision-making at all levels and become change agents in their communities. In 2025, 22% of all training participants were young farmers aged 18 to 35, and 45% were women.
As part of a long-term and global partnership, all ICP projects are implemented by Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung (HRNS), currently in Brazil, Ethiopia, Honduras, Indonesia, Tanzania, Uganda.
"In Indonesia, ICP operates not as a stand-alone project, but as a catalyst for strengthening the farmers’ position in the coffee sector. The most important learning from the Indonesia experience is that inclusive, long-term engagement is essential to achieve structural change in the coffee sector. When ICP engagement began in the regions where we work, coffee sourced from these areas was widely perceived as second-class, characterized by low and inconsistent quality. At that time, few companies were willing to source directly from farmers or cooperatives. Today, the situation has changed fundamentally. Many cooperatives effectively bridge farmers and export companies."
Long-Term Commitment and Sustainable Transformation
In the face of falling yields, rising costs, and growing global uncertainty, ICP remains a reliable and committed partner for coffee farming families and their communities. While the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly evident, international aid is being reduced or withdrawn altogether in several countries. These developments highlight the urgency of long-term action and pre-competitive investment.
"ICP remains committed to its long-term approach and continues contributing to the sustainable transformation of the coffee sector. By sharing experiences and knowledge gained together with farming families and other sector stakeholders, we provide evidence of what can be achieved when pressing issues in coffee communities and landscapes are addressed pre-competitively and collectively."
