Coffee manufacturer Atinkana is actively decreasing its carbon footprint. To maintain a sustainable operation, the company has opted for an eco-friendly transportation strategy: shipping its coffee beans from Colombia to Europe using sailing ships, then using a hydrogen-powered truck by Gebrüder Weiss for the final delivery to Switzerland.
Why It Matters
Atinkana is not just focused on sustainable transport. The company aims to restore Colombia’s virgin forest and enhance soil fertility. Through its agriculture operations in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada, including coffee, cocoa, and fruit cultivation, the Swiss firm is financing its reforestation efforts and minimizing emissions. These environmentally conscious efforts extend to their logistics; for each kilogram of coffee sold, Atinkana plants two trees in Colombia.
Key Points
- Atinkana’s transportation chain involves:
- Sailing ships transporting beans across the Atlantic to Amsterdam.
- Truck deliveries to Antwerp.
- Rail transport to Basel.
- Gebrüder Weiss’s hydrogen truck delivers beans to the roasting plant in Switzerland.
- Atinkana’s logistics manager Andre Conte highlighted their collaboration with Fairtransport and Gebrüder Weiss, enabling 98% sustainable transportation from Colombia to Switzerland.
- Two sailing ships require approximately ten weeks to ship the coffee to Europe, with an annual delivery of 14 tons of coffee to Switzerland.
- Atinkana supports higher-than-average wages for coffee farmers. From every kilogram of coffee sold, eight dollars remain in Colombia: $5 for the beans and $3 for reforestation, totaling around 22% of the revenue.
- Oskar Kramer from Gebrüder Weiss lauded Atinkana’s sustainable efforts. Gebrüder Weiss has been using its hydrogen truck for over two years in Switzerland and plans on rolling out three more hydrogen trucks in Germany by 2024.
Bottom Line
Atinkana’s commitment to eco-friendliness extends beyond just coffee production. With a holistic approach that involves reforestation, fair wages, and sustainable transport, the company is setting new standards for the coffee industry, proving that international trade can be both profitable and sustainable.