In May, Olam Coffee launched a COVID-19 Global Intervention Plan to strengthen its ongoing relief efforts for the world’s worst-affected coffee farming communities.

Securing skilled labour, earning a living and affording usual food and new hygiene supplies are the main challenges being faced by coffee farmers as a result of lockdowns and movement restrictions. All of which are compounding the pre-existing vulnerability of coffee farmers to low prices and climate shocks.

Donations from customers and partners, together with Olam’s contributions, have reached US$449,670 to date, funding food and hygiene packages for over 20,000 coffee households across 12 countries, where farmers are navigating the complexities of harvesting during a pandemic.

Vivek Verma, Managing Director and CEO, Olam Coffee, said:

“We are extremely grateful for the generous support from our customers, namely Lavazza, Nespresso, Caffé Borbone, JM Smuckers, Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee, Strauss, Melitta and Zavida. Our teams have been working around the clock to put their donations to use, together with our own funding, to deliver relief to those we’ve assessed as the most critical cases.”

In the first phase of the Plan, Olam’s origin teams on the ground have distributed over 100,000 masks and 10,000 food packages, as well as contactless handwashing units, sanitisation and hygiene kits.