Project on Living Income presented during the 140th Annual Meeting of the International Coffee Council of the ICO in Honduras
At the 140th Annual Meeting of the International Coffee Council of the ICO, held from October 13 to 17, 2025 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, the Project on Living Income for the Coffee Sector in Honduras and Peru was presented. The International Coffee Organisation (ICO) is the main intergovernmental organization for coffee, bringing together governments, the private sector, development partners, civil society and all coffee stakeholders. It currently represents 93% of world coffee production and 63% of world consumption. The ICO provides a forum for dialogue to tackle the challenges facing the sector through international cooperation and to nurture opportunities. One of the most discussed topics at the annual meeting this year was living income, aligning with the agenda of the Coffee Public-Private Task Force (CPPTF) and the commitments made by member countries to advance towards sustainable, inclusive, and fair value chains.
The project on living income, initiated in early 2025, was presented as a joint effort by German retailers and aims to enhance the livelihoods of coffee producers in Honduras and Peru. To drive long-term, wide-reaching changes in the global coffee sector, the working group focuses on pre-competitive collaboration instead of individual solutions. This approach enables the development of cross-cutting measures while minimizing additional efforts for supply chain partners.
The working group follows a holistic approach that addresses multiple points in the supply chain to enable living incomes. The three strategic goals at the core of the project are:
Establishing responsible and sustainable sourcing practices,
Promoting resilient and efficient production systems and professionalizing producer organizations and
Encouraging collaboration and exchange with relevant stakeholders at local, regional, and international levels.
The presentation of this initiative to the international coffee community underscores the commitment of the implementing partners to building a more equitable and resilient coffee sector in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).