CAPS: the new proprietary system using capsules made of 85% recycled aluminiumMILAN — The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) presents the winners of the 2025 Sustainability Awards, recognizing excellence in sustainability across the industry. With each year, nominated organizations represent a greater diversity of approaches to sustainability, and this year was no exception.
The awards featured two categories: For-Profit and Non-Profit Organizations. After reviewing numerous exceptional nominations, the SCA congratulated the finalists via social media on February 22, 2025.
A diverse panel of 12 external judges—alongside 2 judges representing the SCA— brought their deep knowledge of coffee and sustainability to evaluate this year’s outstanding field of nominations. Expanding the diversity of the Awards’ panel was a key goal, ensuring a nuanced and thoughtful assessment that reflects the complexity of our sector.
The 2025 Sustainability Award winners are:
Non-Profit: Fairtrade International
For-Profit: Black Baza Coffee Co.
Both winners are recognized for their significant contributions in promoting sustainability in coffee and inspiring similar efforts across the industry. The winners will be formally recognized for their achievement at Specialty Coffee Expo in Houston, TX on April 25-27, 2025.
“The 2025 Sustainability Award winners are organizations driving real change in coffee sustainability,” says SCA Sustainability Director Andrés Montenegro, “Through social innovation and collaboration, they tackle social, economic, and environmental challenges, creating lasting impact and more value to our sector. Their work sets a new standard for a more equitable and regenerative coffee industry.”
“Their ability to embrace change, navigate complexity, and generate scalable solutions set them apart,” continues Montenegro, “positioning them as catalysts for a more equitable coffee industry-helping to make coffee better, for all.”
Join us at Specialty Coffee Expo to celebrate these achievements and learn more about sustainability in coffee. For more details and to register, visit coffeeexpo.org.
About the winners:
- Fairtrade International is a globally recognized ethical label that actively works to make trade fairer by supporting and challenging businesses and governments to adopt more sustainable sourcing practices, and strengthening the connections between producers and consumers to increase demand for products made with people and the planet in mind.
“Fairtrade has been on a mission to connect coffee producers and consumers, promote fairer trading conditions, and help producers combat poverty by strengthening their position in the market for more than thirty years,” says Amanda Archila, Executive Director of Fairtrade America. “Fairtrade’s vision is a world in which all farmers can enjoy secure and sustainable livelihoods, fulfill their potential and decide on their future. We operate in an increasingly volatile and uncertain environment, and it is in these moments that we believe the Fairtrade mission is more important than ever.”
- Black Baza Coffee Co is a self-described ‘activist company’, specialty coffee roastery and green coffee Founded by Dr. Arshiya Bose, this women- led enterprise seeks to reimagine the coffee value chain to ensure both smallholder producers and biodiversity can thrive.
“Winning, for us at Black Baza, isn’t just about the accolade. It’s about validation—for the producers who’ve trusted us, for the communities that have shown resilience in the face of impossible odds, and for the biodiversity that quietly thrives because of these efforts,” says Dr. Bose. “It’s proof that a participatory, producer-led model can challenge the status quo in the coffee industry and that smallholder farmers can be recognized as stewards of both livelihoods and landscapes.”
2025 For-Profit Finalists
- La Chacra D’dago
- Black Baza Coffee
- Algrano
- Fazenda Três Meninas
- Mountain Harvest
2025 Non-Profit Finalists:
- Bean Voyage
- Cafecol AC
- Fairtrade International
- PROMECAFE
- Verité, Inc
About the Specialty Coffee Association
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is the largest global coffee trade association dedicated to making coffee better by fostering a global coffee community and supporting activities to make specialty coffee a thriving, equitable, and sustainable endeavour for the entire value chain. Through collaboration and progressive approaches, it supports the industry through research, standards, education, and events.
Working around the world, the SCA elevates worldwide standards, providing value and connectivity to the growing global community.
