Making Impact Where It Matters: Forests at the Forefront

Back in 2012 when we started Moyee Coffee, our biggest task was getting our roastery in Ethiopia up and running and connecting with the local farmers. Even though our initial setup was environmentally friendly thanks to the natural way our farmers grow coffee, we quickly realised that we needed to do a lot more for the planet.

Our early days taught us a lot. While we were reducing our carbon footprint, it became clear that wasn’t enough. We needed a real plan to help not just our business but also our farmers and the environment. So, we got to work creating a solid plan to make a bigger impact, working closely with the Fairchain Foundation and our local partners.

Why Forests Matter More Than Ever

As we learned more, we saw just how much our farmers' futures are tied to the health of the forests. Ethiopia has lost a staggering 18% of its forests in the last 20 years, which hurts not just the wildlife that lives there but all of us, through climate change. That’s why we started focusing a lot on protecting these critical areas.

At the centre of our efforts is the Mizan model farm. This place is showing the world how you can farm in a way that actually helps the environment. Here, we're trying out new farming methods that lower carbon emissions and even help bring back healthy ecosystems.

Read more about the Mizan model farm in our 2023 Impact Report.

We also figured out that the main reason forests were being cut down was because of poverty. Farmers were forced to clear land just to make ends meet. So, we changed our whole business model to help fix this. We're now focusing on:

• Caffeinated Reforestation: Changing how we grow coffee to help regenerate forests.
• Expanding Expertise to Kenya: Taking what works in Ethiopia and applying it in Kenya to improve sustainability there.
• True Price Experiment: Adjusting our prices to reflect the real cost of environmentally and socially responsible farming.

Offsetting versus Insetting

Moyee is fully committed to becoming carbon positive by 2030. Our plan includes planting lots of trees and improving farming methods to help more forests grow.

Many people know about carbon offsetting, where companies try to balance their emissions by funding projects like tree planting elsewhere. However, this method has been widely criticised for not really tackling the root problems—it's often seen as a way for businesses to feel good without making significant, necessary changes.

At Moyee, we take a different approach called carbon insetting. This means we focus on reducing carbon emissions right where it matters—in our own operations and supply chain. By integrating sustainable practices into every step of our process, we're able to cut down our carbon footprint substantially.

To achieve our target of net-zero emissions by 2030, we're actively engaging in several initiatives, including planting a million trees and adopting low-carbon techniques in our agriculture.

Ready to support our impact mission?

Join our Impact Coffee Club here and make an impact each and every month; order one-off coffee here or Contact Us if we can bring radically good coffee to your workplace!

And for the impact geeks you can do a deeper dive into our theory of change and story to date with our 2023 Impact Report.