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

AMSTERDAM, July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

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: http://www.utzcertified.org