As of December 2024, we have invested in 48 impact projects, 17 of which are active initiatives, ranging from farmer productivity initiatives to clean water access. As a founder of World Coffee Research , we support their innovation of climate-smart coffee plants, because that supports smallholder coffee farmers—those most challenged by shifts in weather and disease. We train farmers via TechnoServe, because knowing how to grow a hyper-productive hybrid is as important as having one. In addition to updating the sustainability audits, we engage Enveritas each year to evaluate the impact of these projects to ensure we are making a meaningful difference.

With this new model comes a new mindset: collaborating on impact. The verification audits of our coffee supply chain are the starting point of our efforts, not the end. It is not enough to safeguard our reputation, we take responsibility for protecting forests, watersheds, and livelihoods. We do not limit our responsibility to a few certification logos or a few special farms. We commit to supporting our entire farm footprint, principally for the benefit of small-scale producers. In these efforts, we collaborate with competitors, importers, governments, non-profits, and most importantly our farmer partners. We will keep on Sourcing With Impact. We will keep on sharing our progress with you.

Peet’s—not our farming partners—pays the cost of verification. This improves market access for smallholder farmers. The fees Enveritas receives are based on the scale and scope of audits, not tied to whether farms pass or fail. The Enveritas system is open source, not a captive program of Peet’s or any other roaster. It is available to any coffee company looking to update its approach.

Enveritas’s verification standards address the same social, environmental, and economic challenges that concern other well-known coffee certifications, and all of us as concerned global citizens. We have found that most of these complex challenges are not yet well-measured. Enveritas evaluates conditions ranging from water conservation to workplace safety and beyond. Once we have the sustainability audit data, we engage with our suppliers; excluding farms is not the objective, addressing identified issues is. We have seen that risks like deforestation do not disappear simply because someone declares zero tolerance or certifies that a particular patch of ground is okay. With Enveritas data, we seek to understand the issues better and accept responsibility for addressing them with improvement projects tailored to the needs of communities.