• Major coffee traders and roasters launched the Coffee Canopy Partnership to build the first open-access global coffee farm map.
• The initiative uses satellite data, artificial intelligence, and field verification to meet EU deforestation regulations.
• A 1.2 million sq km pilot in East Africa targets smallholder-dominated supply chains ahead of compliance deadlines.

On April 22, leading traders and roasters launched the Coffee Canopy Partnership. The initiative aims to map coffee farms worldwide using satellite data, artificial intelligence, and on-the-ground verification.

The initiative brings together major industry players, including JDE Peet’s NV, Louis Dreyfus Company, Touton, Sucafina SA, and Neumann Kaffee Gruppe. It aims to deliver the first comprehensive and publicly accessible global map of coffee production.

“By leveraging advanced satellite technology from Airbus, the partnership will map coffee plantations across coffee-growing landscapes, identify areas of forest cover loss, and work with governments to restore ecosystems and prevent future deforestation,” the statement said.

The program aligns with the upcoming enforcement of the EU Deforestation Regulation. Authorities will apply the regulation from December 30 for large operators and from June 2027 for smaller companies, following two postponements.

The regulation requires companies to ensure full traceability for every batch of coffee sold in the European market. Each batch must link to the exact plot where producers cultivated it, and that plot must not have undergone deforestation after December 31, 2020.

The initiative will begin with a major pilot phase in East Africa. The program will cover approximately 1.2 million square kilometers of coffee-growing landscapes across Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi.

Smallholders produce more than 80% of coffee supply in these countries, and exporters mainly ship output to European Union markets such as Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Netherlands. The initiative will support ongoing domestic efforts to comply with EU requirements.

In Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority recently confirmed the technical deployment of a national digital traceability platform. The platform geolocates plots, tracks coffee from farm to export port, and assesses deforestation risks through a mobile application.

Beyond East Africa, the Coffee Canopy Partnership plans to expand mapping progressively across all coffee-producing regions worldwide. The initiative targets full global coverage by 2027 through additional co-investments from industry players and public or multilateral institutions.

Ultimately, the database will serve as a reference tool for companies, national authorities, and European regulators seeking to ensure compliance and transparency across the coffee supply chain.

This article was initially published in French by Espoir Olodo

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum