LITTLE ROCK, Ark., USA – Westrock Coffee Holdings, LLC (“Westrock Coffee” or “the Company”), a leading integrated coffee, tea, flavors, extracts, and ingredients solutions provider to the retail, foodservice and restaurant, convenience store and travel center, non-commercial account, CPG, and hospitality industries, announced today the successful achievement of its previously stated goal to responsibly source 100% of its tea globally.
As of the end of 2021, Westrock Coffee’s entire tea product supply is certified, further demonstrating its commitment to create responsible products and solutions that foster social equality, environmental resilience, and economic opportunity throughout the Company’s supply chains.
“Buying our tea responsibly is the foundation of Westrock Coffee’s objective to advance farmer and supplier support in the beverage industry beyond coffee,” said Matt Smith, Westrock Coffee’s executive vice president of supply chain & sustainability. “Ensuring that our products are grown, purchased, and manufactured in a way that protects human rights and the environment is an important part of our commitment to a more sustainable industry.”
Westrock Coffee’s vertically integrated systems and history of supporting the livelihoods of smallholder farmers around the world has led the Company to create transparent, digitally traceable supply chains from farm to final product for many of the world’s most iconic brands. This affords Westrock Coffee’s customers and farmer partners the assurance of a responsible supply chain, with sustainability as the ultimate goal.
Westrock Coffee’s roots originated in providing coffee farmer service programs such as the Agribusiness Training Program, Farmer Direct Verified®, and Raíz Sustainability®. In recent years, the Company has expanded its beverage offerings to include the growing markets of tea, flavors, extracts, and ingredients. These additions have further expanded Westrock Coffee’s commitment to sustainability as it finds ways to support these critical supply chains with programs complementary to those in coffee.
Westrock Coffee recently piloted its first digitally traceable tea supply chain from Argentina through its Farmer Direct Verified® platform, opening the possibility for the Company’s farmer partners and customers to be a part of its first transparent tea supply chain.
“Westrock Coffee purchases about 18% of all Argentine tea imported into the U.S. annually,” Smith added. “Being a large tea buyer from this region in particular creates an imperative duty to secure ethical trade, and the opportunity to work with tea farmers on profitable, environmentally conservative agriculture.”
To learn more about Westrock Coffee’s sustainability goals, view its 2020-2021 Sustainability Report.
Westrock Coffee previously announced it entered into a business combination agreement with Riverview Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: RVAC). The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022, and it is anticipated that the Company will retain the Westrock Coffee name and be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “WEST.”
