- UCC is testing regenerative coffee farming in Vietnam.
- The pilot aims to boost yields and cut emissions.
- Project supports UCC’s 2030 sourcing and 2040 carbon goals.
The initiative comes as Vietnam’s coffee sector grapples with rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, declining soil health and increasing production costs.
These environmental changes threaten coffee yields, quality and the long-term viability of farming, making improved production systems critical to securing future supply.
“Vietnam, one of the world’s leading coffee-producing countries, is an inseparable and special partner to Japanese coffee culture,” said Masahito Hibi, section manager at UCC Japan’s Sustainability Promotion Office.
As part of the project, UCC will test a carbon inset model on a pilot farm, using biochar and reduced conventional fertiliser inputs to assess whether the approach can lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase carbon sequestration at farm level.
Such measures are intended to improve coffee productivity while boosting farms’ ability to withstand climate-related stresses.
The move supports UCC’s target of achieving 100% sustainable sourcing for its own-brand coffee products by 2030.
In April, the company expanded its sustainable sourcing programme through partnerships with Brazilian coffee cooperative Cooxupé and Mitsui & Co. Coffee Trading Brazil, bringing the number of partners that meet its sustainability standards to 12.
For a resilient coffee future
UCC said insights generated through the pilot will be shared with local producers, with the goal of strengthening resilience across Vietnam’s coffee-growing regions and encouraging wider adoption of regenerative farming practices.
The company is working with Atlantic Commodities Vietnam (ACOM), a subsidiary of the ECOM Group, which brings a local producer network and agricultural technology expertise.
“This groundbreaking project presents a fantastic opportunity to strengthen the relationship between ECOM and UCC for sustainable coffee sourcing in Vietnam,” said Thuan Sarzynski, sustainable management services manager, ECOM Vietnam.
Hibi added: “Through collaboration with ECOM and ACOM, we will promote initiatives that enable producers and consumers to build a win-win relationship.”
The project also supports UCC’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040.
In June, the company joined the Japan Climate Leaders’ Partnership (JCLP), a corporate coalition focused on advancing a decarbonised society through collaboration and knowledge sharing.
“The UCC Group has been deeply committed to improving quality through the establishment of local offices and the holding of quality contests, and that relationship is now evolving to the stage of jointly creating environmental value,” said Hibi.
“Through this project, we will document our carbon emission reduction efforts, which can be scaled over the next few years. We are committed to reducing carbon emissions throughout the coffee supply chain and contributing to UCC’s achievement of its net-zero target,” said Sarzynski.