Circle
K Plans to Supply 100% Sustainably Sourced Coffee
April 17 - 2021
Coffee Geography Magazine
Circle
K pushed forward by becoming the largest convenience retailer in the U.S. to
offer 100% sustainably sourced coffee blends across all their locations. The
company will be offering up to 40% off reusable mugs on April 22 for Earth Day.
The
sustainably sourced coffee program is built around three pillars: farm
productivity, environmental practices and social development. Coffee beans will
come from participating farms around the world while providing valuable tools,
training and services to coffee farmers and their communities.
Additionally,
farms where these coffees are sourced, actively promote the following:
No
child labor
No
form of slavery or forced labor
Trainings
on applicable local and international labor and employment laws
Trainings
on, but not limited to, critical health, occupational safety topics, and worker
rights and conditions
Gender
equity
Soil
conservation
Forest
conservation and biodiversity
Water
protection, waste management and efficient energy use
Environmentally
responsible agriculture
Kevin Lewis, global chief marketing officer of Alimentation Couche-Tard
“We
continue to look for ways to deliver high quality coffee while reducing our
impact on the environment,” said Kevin Lewis, global chief marketing officer of
Alimentation Couche-Tard, in a press release. “In the US, over the past year,
we’ve reduced case sizes and extended product shelf life, which will minimize
the amount of coffee wasted. These steps, combined with the installation of
bean-to-cup coffee machines across the US, have delivered a 30% reduction in
total pounds of coffee wasted annually.”
Circle
K offers consistently fresh coffee through their bean-to-cup machines. The new
sustainably sourced coffee blends will be available through these machines in
both hot and iced forms. While the coffee beans will now be 100% sustainably
sourced, the quality will continue to be the same java customers love, with no
changes to the taste, aroma or roast profile.
During
the pandemic, hot dispensed beverages took a hit due to state and local
restrictions on self-service foodservice, with category sales declining 33.4%,
per newly released NACS State of the Industry data for 2020. The morning cup
was especially hard hit, as daily commuters relied opted to make their own
coffee at home instead of frequenting their local convenience store.