Coffee For Good
Nestled in the lush mountains of Veracruz, where the finest coffee is grown, lies the birthplace of Kahlúa – also home to generations of indigenous coffee farmers who share a passion for quality. In 2016, Kahlúa embarked on a multi-decade project to strengthen its connection to the source of its coffee beans and have a positive impact beyond its supply chain.
What led Kahlúa to start this initiative?
Coffee is one of the world's most tradable commodities, and as the global coffee trend continues to boom, so demand continues to grow. Businesses involved in the coffee industry have a duty to protect the people and the fragile ecosystems that they rely upon for supply.
Kahlúa has for many years sourced coffee exclusively from Veracruz, Mexico, using 100% Arabica beans purchased via its supplier Cafiver. Recognising that knowing the supply chain was not enough, the brand committed to understanding the lives of the farmers themselves. In 2016, they launched Coffee For Good, a project focused on four Veracruz villages, to build more direct relationships with growers and support sustainable development from the ground up.
This journey began with one community, the village of Ocotempa, but the initiative has grown to include seven more coffee-growing villages in Veracruz: Atempa, Oxtotitla, Coxititla, Mitipec, Popocatepec, Xalcocotla, and Poxcautla
In partnership with the local non-governmental organisation, Fondo Para La Paz, alongside agroecological experts from the Mexican Ecological Institute (INIFAP) and coffee advisors at Centro Agroecológico del Café (CAFECOL), Kahlúa designed a sustainable development program rooted in three pillars: environmental, social, and economic resilience.
Environmental stewardship
- Tree planting to shade the coffee plants. This enhances coffee quality, decreases dependency on fertilisers and pesticides, combats soil erosion, and boosts biodiversity.
- Help farmers cultivate higher-yield, disease-resistant coffee varieties.
- Introduction of organic fertilisers derived from on-farm materials that help nourish the soil.
- Protect biodiversity through the careful selection of non-disruptive flora.
- Replace old, unproductive coffee plants with seedlings grown in newly established nurseries to ensure future sustainability. 444,000 new coffee plants have already been planted.
Social & economic empowerment
- Train farmers in sustainable techniques, leadership, business skills, financial management, and child labour prevention. 344 coffee farmers have already received training.
- Install infrastructure such as dry toilets and rainwater tanks to bring sanitation. All the families in the four villages now enjoy access to clean water, with 227 water tanks and 251 dry toilets having been built.
- Give women new opportunities. 270 women freed from long water-gathering journeys are now in leadership roles.
- Give children environmental education to become tomorrow's stewards.
- Teach farmers to process coffee cherries into fermented, dried parchment beans, which command higher market prices. They're also supported to explore supplementary income streams, such as vanilla, honey, bananas, and corn. All the families now have earnings above the poverty line.
The impact has already been transformative, from increased resilience to optimism for the future. Coffee For Good has equipped farming families with the support, skills, and vision to thrive long term. As Kahlúa's sourcing becomes more sustainable than ever, the communities themselves are empowered to flourish.
What's Next?
In 2025, Kahlúa stepped into Phase 2 of Coffee for Good, the next ten-year plan to help the indigenous coffee farmers:
- Gain legal ownership of their land
- Access affordable loans without falling into debt
- Improve water systems to handle drought and flooding
- Earn above the poverty line
The goal is for Kahlúa liqueur to do more than taste great. For it to stand for something.
Please note: The film at the top of this page was created in 2022, and some data points may no longer reflect current figures.
