The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) has launched a new four-year program aimed at developing regenerative and verifiable coffee supply chains in four key producing countries: Vietnam, India, Colombia, and Uganda. The initiative, called the Resilient Coffee Program (RCP), was announced during a sustainable coffee roundtable in Hanoi, Vietnam, and is designed as a pre-competitive investment platform for the sector.
The program has a stated goal of engaging 300,000 farmers by 2030 and generating approximately 500,000 metric tons of coffee grown under regenerative practices annually. The RCP is open to investment from roasters, traders, and other industry stakeholders. According to the announcement, the Aldi Süd Group is the first major commercial partner to invest in the platform, though financial details were not disclosed.
To standardize practices, the program will utilize the 'Regenerating Together Framework' from the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform. This framework provides a common system for defining, measuring, and verifying regenerative agriculture claims. The RCP will also feature shared systems for traceability and reporting, designed in part to help participating companies meet emerging regulatory requirements such as the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).