Essent and Solidaridad received an award for the most innovative project related to sustainability in the coffee sector from the Speciality Coffee Association of America (SCAA) in the American city of Minneapolis.

The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), the largest coffee trading organisation in the world, had its annual conference in Minneapolis from the 3rd to the 5th of May. This conference was attended by thousands of professionals from the coffee industry. This was the first year that the SCAA awarded prizes to innovative projects related to sustainability in the coffee sector.

‘The jury certainly noticed the unique character of our project', Peter-Paul Schouwenberg, vice-president Biofuels Commodities and Development at Essent, states. ‘We were the first with such a serious and pioneering initiative, and the first completed test, with 3,500 tonnes of pellets, is promising. This award means more attention, and will put coffee husks as fuel on the global agenda, but can also be used in The Hague as a powerful argument in the discussion about energy subsidies.'

It was back in February that the first consignment of coffee husks arrived fron Brasil. The original 3200 tonnes have long since been used up, but the project could grow to using 250,000 tonnes of husks/year, enough to supply the energy needs of a city the size of Eindhoven.

Pressure on trade price

The medal has a drawback: the attention for coffee husks as fuel is putting pressure on the price. Peter-Paul: ‘We are currently looking in other coffee producing countries such as Ethiopia. We are also currently examining the financial feasibility of the Brazilian husks for a second shipment of 20,000 tonnes. We will have to wait until next year for it, when the Amer 9 has been revised and the rainy season has passed: we cannot use wet husks to make pellets.'

See the video (in Dutch) in which Peter-Paul Schouwenberg, vice president Biofuel at Essent Trading, talks about the coffee husk experiment.

(Published 9 June 2008)