NEW YORK—Travelers in the United States will be able to enjoy Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee at all of the Holiday Inn brand’s nearly 1,000 hotels nationwide by June. The commitment by Holiday Inn, which will be the largest hotel chain to serve Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee, means that at least 30 percent of the beans used to brew the more than 55,000 cups of coffee served at the hotels every day will come from farms that meet rigorous environmental and social standards. These standards include biodiversity conservation, worker protection, healthcare and education for children of farm workers.
“Holiday Inn’s pledge reflects a growing trend of companies finding cost-effective ways to support sustainability and responsible practices,” says Tensie Whelan, Executive Director of the Rainforest Alliance. “We embrace working with businesses and farms of all sizes to encourage integrating sustainable coffee in mainstream products to reach a broad range of consumers and have a global impact on the environment and farming communities.”
More and more businesses and consumers are supporting sustainable agricultural practices by choosing products including coffee, bananas and chocolate from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. Standards cover a broad range of requirements including water and soil conservation, wildlife protection, housing and healthcare for workers, and education for workers’ children.
All in Good Taste
“As consumers continue to gain awareness about how they can make responsible choices, it’s important that we go beyond serving coffee with great quality but also take into account how it was produced,” says Sue Morgan, Vice President of Holiday Inn’s Franchise Food & Beverage. “Knowing the coffee is benefiting farm workers and protecting the environment and wildlife makes it taste that much better.”
Interest in Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee has been growing steadily in recent years. In the past three years, the amount of coffee purchased from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms has grown from an estimated 7 million pounds purchased in 2003 to an estimated 60 million pounds purchased in 2006.
Companies including Kraft Foods, Caribou, First Choice, Procter and Gamble, Tchibo, Lavazza, Nespresso, Royal Cup, Gloria Jeans and Bolling Coffee offer Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee. Hundreds of mainstream outlets and grocery stores in the United States including Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Whole Foods and Target carry Rainforest Alliance Certified coffees.
Go to the Rainforest Alliance.
