Q&A with Allie​

What is your field of expertise?

I am a corporate sustainability professional with nearly a decade of experience building programmes and partnerships that strengthen the sustainability of agricultural supply chains. 

I have an MBA with a focus on climate stewardship, as well as a graduate certificate in carbon management. I have broad knowledge of carbon markets, net zero strategies, and the links between climate and agriculture.

I have leveraged my expertise to deliver measurable impact on the livelihoods and climate resilience of smallholder growers of coffee, cashew, and cacao.

What’s your experience in relation to coffee?

While my love for coffee dates back to childhood, I have worked in the coffee sector for approximately seven years.

As a coffee programme manager at TechnoServe, the National Coffee Association’s 2020 origin non-profit of the year, I supported a team of agronomists and technical experts to deliver comprehensive training to smallholder coffee farmers and wet mill workers.

The aim was to boost yields, improve quality, and provide a stable supply of verified sustainable coffee to buyers across Europe and North America.

I have also conducted desk research and delivered advisory support to coffee industry stakeholders on the impact of climate change on the coffee industry.

Why did you decide to work with MTPak Coffee?

I only align myself with brands and products that place sustainability at the core of their vision. I am energised by MTPak Coffee’s commitments to becoming carbon neutral, promoting a circular coffee economy, and amplifying the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

What is sustainability in the coffee sector for you and what should the industry focus on?

Sustainability is a mindset, not a defined endpoint. In the coffee sector, sustainability is the active pursuit of creating and equitably distributing value across the supply chain without contributing to the overshoot of planetary boundaries.

The critical opportunities that must be urgently and creatively addressed in the coffee industry include farm-level climate mitigation and adaptation, preservation of the world’s coffee biodiversity, improved mechanisms for traceability, decarbonized packaging solutions, elimination of human rights abuses, and strengthened profitability for upstream supply chain participants.