Building a Climate-Smart Coffee Region in Western Honduras

VIENNA, Nov. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The coffee companies Julius Meinl, The J.M. Smucker Co. and Tchibo together with the independent foundation Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung (HRNS) are pleased to announce a joint project in which they will work together with smallholder coffee farmers in Western Honduras to build a Climate-Smart Coffee Region (CSCR Honduras). The project remains open for additional partners interested in contributing to this collaborative effort. This four-year project (2025-2029) in the departments of Ocotepeque, Copán, and Lempira will strengthen smallholder livelihoods, restore ecosystems, and build local institutional capacity. The project will directly support 4,000 smallholder families, impact 6,000 hectares of coffee farming land, and engage 20 farmer organizations. The project will be implemented by HRNS Honduras.

Transforming coffee landscapes into climate-smart systems

Building on 15 years of field experience through the initiative for coffee&climate https://coffeeandclimate.org/ (c&c), in which the three coffee companies are members, the project will use c&c knowledge and scale proven climate adaptation tools, including soil and water conservation, coffee agroforestry, erosion control, microclimate monitoring, and household innovations like fuel-efficient stoves and water-saving devices. The aim is to transform vulnerable coffee landscapes, with a focus on communities located in the buffer zones of Celaque, Erapuca, Las Minas, and Volcán Pacayita protected areas, into biodiversity-friendly, climate-smart systems that secure livelihoods and restore ecosystems. Financial literacy, women's leadership, and youth entrepreneurship will also be key project pillars. Monitoring and evaluation, based on recognized frameworks such as Enveritas, will ensure transparency, impact measurement, and adaptive learning.

"Western Honduras is ecologically rich but also increasingly vulnerable to climate change. Irregular rainfall, prolonged droughts, and rising temperatures have reduced yields by up to 30% and forced coffee cultivation to expand into ecologically sensitive highland zones", says Theresa Ruperti, HRNS Program Manager for the CSCR Honduras Project. "By linking coffee productivity, community resilience, and ecosystem conservation, the CSCR Honduras project supports farmers' livelihoods and positions Western Honduras as a model for climate-smart and biodiversity-positive coffee farming in Central America."

"This project marks an exciting milestone for Julius Meinl as the first landscape initiative under our Generations Programme. What makes it truly distinctive is the spirit of collaboration behind it. We're partnering with a diverse group of stakeholders, including fellow coffee roasters, to address shared challenges through a pre-competitive, landscape-level approach. We look forward to learning, innovating, and finding impactful ways to create a future where coffee, communities, and nature all thrive," says Carina Needham, Global Sustainability Director at Julius Meinl 1862 GmbH.

Supporting territorial governance

The unique strength of the CSCR Honduras project lies in its governance model coordinated through inter-municipal platforms (Higuito and MAPANCE), which will align municipalities, civil society, and local actors around shared climate goals. In addition, the Honduran Coffee Institute (IHCAFE) will play a central technical role in farmer training, research, and monitoring. The project will also establish a regional Community of Practice (CoP) to coordinate learning and innovation among 25 local actors, with technical support from IHCAFE.

Julius Meinl
As a fifth-generation family business, it is up to us to create a positive impact along our entire value chain. At the heart of our mission is a commitment to sustainability, centered around three key pillars: Origin, Planet and People. Find out more at https://www.juliusmeinl.com/

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