Sales of UTZ CERTIFIED Coffee, Cocoa and Tea Increase Significantly in First Half Year of 2011

AMSTERDAM, July 19, 2011 -

In the first six months of this year
81,319 metric tons of UTZ CERTIFIED
Good Inside
coffee was sold, an increase of
38% compared to first six months of
2010. Not only the sale of certified coffee has
increased significantly, the programs for cocoa and tea are
expanding rapidly as well. 20,300 metric tons of
UTZ CERTIFIED cocoa and 1,778
metric tons of UTZ CERTIFIED tea have been
sold in the first half of 2011. These figures
show an increase in sales of
76% for cocoa and an increase of 46%
for tea compared to the same period last
year.  

Coffee

Brazil remains the largest supplier of UTZ CERTIFIED coffee with
36% of the total sales volume; followed by Vietnam (23%), Honduras
(18%), India (6%) and Colombia (5%). In terms of coffee species,
Arabica and Robusta coffees both experienced a growth in sales of
28%. The increased interest in Robusta coffees shows sustainably
produced Robusta is winning terrain in sales compared to Arabica.
 

Cocoa

With 77% of the total sales volume, Cote d’Ivoire is the largest
supplier of UTZ CERTIFIED cocoa. In second place is Dominican
Republic with 17%, followed by Ghana (4%) and Peru & Vietnam
(both 1%). There are now 102.489 UTZ CERTIFIED cocoa producers in
the UTZ-program.

Tea & Rooibos

23.790 tea and Rooibos producers have been UTZ CERTIFIED. 47% of
the trades are Rooibos, coming from South Africa. Malawi is
responsible for 37% of the tea sales and Indonesia 16%. Aside from
Malawi and Indonesia, now companies can source UTZ CERTIFIED tea
from India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Argentina as well.

Partners

UTZ CERTIFIED is proud to welcome its new partners, who have
recently decided to source UTZ CERTIFIED commodities. Mars has
launched the Balisto bar with UTZ CERTIFIED cocoa in Europe. Tchibo
has committed to sourcing increasing volumes of UTZ CERTIFIED
coffee in Germany. Other important new partners for coffee are Lidl
in the Netherlands and Belgium, Café Pilao Origem (Sara Lee) in
Brazil and Sams club (Walmart) in the USA. Many existing partners
are extending their UTZ CERTIFIED product range, like Sara Lee, who
launched the L’Or Espresso capsules in France, Spain, Belgium and
the Netherlands. For Rooibos we are happy to welcome Carmien Tea in
South Africa and Pickwick will extend their UTZ CERTIFIED product
range.

About UTZ CERTIFIED

UTZ CERTIFIED is one of the largest sustainability programs for
coffee, cocoa and tea in the world. Brands that have committed
themselves to the sourcing of (sustainable) UTZ CERTIFIED raw
materials are global market leaders. Farmers are trained in the
professionalization of their agricultural practice and operational
management with care for people and environment. This improves the
quality of their products and allows them to produce higher volumes
at lower costs. Moreover, farmers who work with UTZ CERTIFIED in
the global marketplace receive a premium for their crop and they
don’t have to pay an annual fee for taking part in the program. The
UTZ CERTIFIED tracking system subsequently guarantees that the raw
materials have actually been grown and harvested in a responsible
manner. For more information: href="www.utzcertified.org">www.utzcertified.org

Note to the editors. Not for publication. For more information about UTZ CERTIFIED, please contact Monique van Wijnbergen, Marketing & Communications Manager through: E: monique.van.wijnbergen at utzcertified.org or T: +31(0)6-34-82-20-65