TURNHOUT, Belgium – Puro, Miko ’s Fairtrade coffee brand, is produced with respect for people and the environment. Thanks to its unique collaboration with environmental protection organisation World Land Trust (WLT), Puro is contributing to the protection of the rainforest and endangered animal species in 17 countries.
Over the years, the restoration of ecosystems and biodiversity in these countries have led to the discovery of new species. For example, new species of tree, orchid and frog were previously discovered, and were named after our Puro coffee. The Puro frog, for instance, was registered as Pristimantis Puruscafeum.
Another new orchid species was recently discovered and named after MAAS Coffee: the MA(a)Sdevallia purocafeana. Puro came about in 2005 with a goal of guaranteeing fair prices for coffee farmers, achieving sustainable trade for coffee farmers and protecting rainforests in coffee-producing countries.
For every kilogram of coffee sold, a share is invested for WLT to protect the rainforest and manage it sustainably. This has enabled Puro to contribute to the protection of 17 reserves in such countries as Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala and Ecuador.
This comprises a total of approx. 500,000,000 m2. MA(a)Sdevallia purocafeana is a new orchid species discovered in the rainforest reserve in Ecuador and will be protected for centuries to come, thanks to the efforts of MAAS and Puro coffee. The new orchid is named after Dutch coffee-service subsidiary MAAS.
MAAS is a Dutch subsidiary and is the market leader in the vending sector for coffee, tea, soft drinks and snacks in the workplace. It provides services to more than 2,197 business clients every day, where more than 1.4 million refreshments are consumed.
As market leader in the field of sustainability, MAAS is working continuously on contributing to a circular economy. In that light, MAAS’ policy includes various sustainability initiatives geared to minimising its ecological footprint. When Miko became a major shareholder in 2021, Puro Fairtrade coffee was added to the product range that perfectly matches MAAS’ sustainable ambitions.
As a symbol of our collaboration with MAAS, the MA(a)Sdevallia purocafeana is now officially registered as an orchid species in Ecuador. The orchid is identifiable by its remarkably broad, curved-back sepals, with elongated pale pink petals flushed with yellow and with purple speckles.
Restoring the ecosystem in this tract of Ecuadorian rainforest serves to maintain biodiversity and increase the likelihood of the development of new flora and fauna. Both Miko and MAAS take great pride in this.
About Miko
Miko has been active in coffee service for over 200 years, and was floated on Euronext Brussels in 1998. Miko is an international group with companies in Belgium, France, UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Australia.
