News

Dunkin' supporting sustainable coffee development

September 28, 2018

Sustainable coffee production is a huge issue in planet health, which is why on the brink of World Coffee Day Saturday, Dunkin' has announced a partnership to further development in that area. The chain has joined with supply chain management coop, National DCP, and the non-profit research and development collaborative World Coffee Research in a five-year partnership to boost coffee sustainability. 

To help pay for this work, Dunkin' said in a news release that a percentage of sales from every pound of Original Blend coffee beans sold to its franchisees will go to WCR's coffee sustainability efforts.  The resulting financial donation could total $2 million over the course of the agreement and will help WCR work to grow, protect and enhance coffee supplies, while improving producers' livelihoods.

"The commitment by the Dunkin's system makes them one of our biggest donors and a leader in collaborative, pre-competitive agronomic research and development," WCR CEO Tim Schilling, said in the release. "With rising temperatures and more frequent extreme weather, the need to make coffee plants more resilient to threats like diseases and droughts has never been more urgent. The support from Dunkin' will be transformational in protecting the availability of quality coffee, and protecting the livelihood of coffee farmers across the globe through access to new coffee varieties and technologies."

Dunkin Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer Karen Raskopf said the brand considers these efforts and resulting contributions to be part of their responsibilities as a leading retail coffee concept. 

This is part of ongoing similar efforts to support coffee production sustainability at the chain. Last year, Dunkin' expanded its current work with the Rainforest Alliance to have all its espresso beverages in the U.S. and 16 international markets made with all Rainforest Alliance Certified beans. 

Likewise, earlier this year, Dunkin' said it would eliminate all polystyrene foam cups in its global supply chain by 2020, with U.S. restaurants using a double-walled paper cup instead. Most international markets are using paper cups, and the brand will work with its franchisees to eliminate foam cups from the remaining international markets by the 2020 goal. That effort alone is expected to take nearly 1 billion foam cups out of the waste stream annually, according to the release.