No more rumble in the jungle thanks to Wetherby firm
A YORKSHIRE coffee company is helping to save tropical rainforests in Indonesia and Honduras thanks to its involvement with an international wildlife charity.
The Wicked Coffee Company, based near Wetherby, has teamed up with the Operation Wallacea Trust to work on a conservation project, which has also resulted in the creation of a newly-launched blend.
The World Bank and the Global Environment Facility sponsored initiative saw Wicked secure fair trade contracts with local coffee producers, who in return had to agree to an embargo on logging and hunting in designated rainforest areas.
Wicked then used these local beans in its new Jungle blend – a full-bodied combination of both the Honduran and Indonesian coffees, together with Rainforest Alliance coffee from Colombia.
The joint venture has assured the future survival of many creatures unique to these areas, including the Anoa (a rare buffalo) and a species of frog previously believed to be extinct.
Fergus Walsh, Managing Director of Wicked, said:
“We were delighted to be asked to take part in this project. Wicked Coffee has
always supported ethical trading through our ‘Wicked But Fair’ policy, which made us the ideal partner for Operation Wallacea.
“The opportunity to take things a stage further by helping wildlife conservation has been a real privilege for us.”
Tim Coles, project director of Operation Wallacea said:
“The participation of The Wicked Coffee Company was crucial to the success of
this project and we are really grateful for its involvement.
“Financial incentive is the only way the rainforests will be preserved, and Wicked Coffee is now paying the local growers three times what they were previously earning.”
He added: “The contracts have now been in place for two years and deforestation in the area has completely ceased as a result.”
The launch of the Jungle coffee took place at The Union Show in Telford, a trade fair at which suppliers endorsed by the National Union of Students promote their wares to student representatives.
Wicked is the preferred coffee supplier of the NUS – a contract which was awarded in no small part due to the company’s ethical policies and high quality Fairtrade products.
Wicked coffee is now served in more than a hundred UK student unions.
