The European market potential for certified coffee
Last updated:
Takes 25 minutes to read
Europe is the world’s largest market for certified coffee, and it changes a lot. There are many trends and challenges in it. The four main coffee certification standards are 4C, Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade and organic. There are also many smaller certifications and initiatives on the market. The amount of certified coffee imports differs across European countries. Germany imports the most certified coffee. Switzerland imports a lot of Rainforest Alliance and organic coffee. In Sweden, certified coffee is the standard.
Certification means you need to show that your coffee meets the rules described in a scheme. Standard setting organisations design and manage these schemes. Every scheme has social and/or environmental goals. To achieve these goals, the scheme defines a specific standard. This is a list of things producers and companies need to do. Independent, third-party inspectors visit farms and supply chain actors to make sure they are doing everything correctly. If the rules are followed, the inspector will give the company certification. If they do not, the inspector will not award certification or even take it back.
The ISEAL Alliance provides an outline to understand what makes sustainability systems trustworthy. They must add value and make a difference where it matters. They should work with stakeholders to create change and have clear results. Sustainability schemes have to prove they are trustworthy so the market and the public believe in them.
Most schemes look at the production of coffee beans at the farm level, either for individual farmers or farmer groups. They then follow processing, trade and packaging, often adding a label so consumers know the coffee meets the standard.
Certification can apply to green coffee, roasted coffee, and products that can be used instead of coffee, but contain coffee. The most important HS codes for coffee are shown below. This study focuses on green coffee (090111 and 090112).
Independent checking and certification are the most important parts of large coffee production standards. Production is certified by an independent, outside body. The most important international certification schemes for coffee include Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade International, Fair Trade USA, 4C and organic certifications.
4C is one of the largest coffee certification schemes
4C stands for the 'Common Code for the Coffee Community'. Together with Rainforest Alliance, it is the most important certification scheme in the coffee sector. In 2023, 1.75 million tonnes of 4C-certified coffee were produced.
4C was created to make coffee and cocoa production more sustainable. It focuses on making the coffee and cocoa sectors’ social, economic and environmental aspects better. The 4C Code of Conduct lays out 12 principles and 45 criteria. 4C lets farmers enter at different performance levels and pushes producers to keep getting better. Independent audits check progress and confirm whether producers produce in line with the standards.
Producers can start at different levels and work toward improvement. Because 4C is a business-to-business system rather than a retail label, most consumers never see the name. However, 4C is one of the world’s most widely-used certification schemes.
Rainforest Alliance merged with UTZ
Rainforest Alliance is the second-largest certification scheme in terms of production volume. In 2023, farmers produced 1.7 million tonnes of Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee. When it comes to sales, Rainforest Alliance is larger than 4C. Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee sales are much higher than 4C-certified coffee sales (1,038,000 tonnes vs. 774,000 tonnes).
Certified coffee is grown in line with the Rainforest Alliance sustainability standard. Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organisation that promotes responsible business practices. Its goals include protecting forests, improving the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities, promoting human rights and helping farmers adapt to the climate crisis.
In 2018, Rainforest Alliance merged with UTZ. UTZ was one of the main coffee certification programmes at the time. Following the merger, the Rainforest Alliance rolled out a single standard, which it launched in 2020, along with a new logo. The old UTZ seal is no longer used.
Fairtrade International requires auditing by FLOCERT
Fairtrade International is one of the largest certification schemes. In 2023, farmers produced 578,000 tonnes of Fairtrade-certified coffee. This is less than half the volume of 4C or Rainforest Alliance, but nearly twice that of organic certification.
Fairtrade aims to help farmers and workers by encouraging fair trade practices, better prices, good working conditions and fair trade relationships.
The Fairtrade Standards support sustainable development, a Fairtrade Minimum Price and a Fairtrade Premium. All audits are carried out by the independent body FLOCERT.
The European Union regulates organic certification
Organic certification in coffee is less common than other certifications. It requires a lot and is very strict. In 2022, only 430,000 tonnes of coffee qualified as organic. This is about half of Fairtrade and one-quarter of 4C or Rainforest Alliance.
Organic coffee farms only use natural farming aids and processes. This helps the environment in several ways. The EU states that these benefits include responsible energy and natural resource use, biodiversity is helped, ecological balance is kept, soil fertility is made better and water quality is protected.
The EU regulates organic farming. This means imported organic coffee products comply with organic principles through strict checks.
Source: Fairtrade International, Rainforest Alliance, 4C, Coffee Barometer and FiBL. Organic production is based on estimates.
Source: Fairtrade International, Rainforest Alliance, 4C, Coffee Barometer and FiBL. Organic statistics only available until 2022.
Other sustainability schemes
As well as major schemes, coffee producers and exporters can access smaller, more specific (niche) sustainability schemes that target specific markets or regions. Examples include:
Large coffee companies have made their own sustainability programmes. These are different from third-party certification. These standards are rarely checked (audited) by an independent body. They are usually less complex and clear. Company standards often use parts of other certification standards, but keep control over marketing and supply chains. This study does not analyse them closely.
Examples of company sustainability programmes for coffee traders and processors include:
In the past ten years, governments, companies and civil society groups have worked together in multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs). These MSIs have taken the lead in defining how the coffee industry has become more sustainable. They focus on solving big issues together and address larger challenges that no single actor can fix alone.
In the coffee world, groups like the Global Coffee Platform (GCP), Sustainable Coffee Challenge (SCC) and Coffee Public-Private Task Force (CPPTF) work to improve sustainability, support global climate goals and address human rights and environmental problems in coffee supply chains. This allows companies to show they are helping to fix global challenges.
It is often said MSIs are unclear about who is responsible and how decisions are made. Observers argue that they are better for large and powerful companies. This leaves smallholder communities and local organisations with limited influence.
To bring order to the busy world of company sustainability standards, the GCP created the Equivalence Mechanism (GCP EM). It rates schemes against the Coffee Sustainability Reference Code. This code sets a base level for good environmental, social and economic practices. The GCP EM checks if programmes follow the rules and whether they meet other criteria, such as governance, how standards are set, data integrity and claims management.
Programmes are rated as having second-party or third-party assurance. Once a programme is recognised, it can be part of the GCP system for tracking sustainable coffee purchases. The GCP EM aims to improve coffee sustainability and strengthen supply chain traceability, especially as new EU rules come into effect.
Tips:
Use your browser's translation option to read this study in your language.
To learn more, explore guides that compare sustainability schemes such as Fair for Life, Bird Friendly, Fair Trade USA and SPP.
Read about smaller sustainability schemes and do not automatically choose the more well-known ones. You can find a short overview on the Gourmesso website. Keep in mind that certification bodies change their policies. You can find the most up-to-date information on their websites.
2. What makes Europe an interesting market for certified coffee?
Europe is the largest coffee market in the world and the largest market for certified coffee. However, a lot of beans grown under sustainability standards still reach Europe as ‘conventional’ coffee because certified supply is more than demand.
Europe is the world’s largest coffee consumption market
Europe consumed 30.4% of all coffee in 2023/2024. This is equal to 3.2 million tonnes. Asia-Pacific was the second-largest market, with a share of 25.8%, followed by North America (17.5%) and South America (15.8%). After a dip in 2023, caused by lower global production, EU green coffee imports went back up in 2024.
Certification raises costs. This is because you need to implement more measures, do more administration and organise audits. It can also offer extra income, because selling certified coffee normally comes with a premium.
Globally, more certified coffee is produced than sold. This leads to certified beans being sold as regular coffee. This means the direct benefits for farmers are limited by how much markets absorb the total volume of certified coffee. The lack of demand lowers price premiums and market access. This undermines the returns of farmers’ investments in certification.
Luckily, the gap between supply and demand has gotten smaller. In 2017, only 29% of all certified coffee production was sold as certified. Of total certified coffee produced, around two-thirds were sold without certification in the end. In 2023, around 51% of production was sold under certification. This means more coffee is now sold with its certified status.
The gap between supply and demand is different depending on the certification scheme. The gap is largest for Fairtrade, and smallest for Rainforest Alliance. Figure 3 shows how much certified produce is sold as such.
Source: Fairtrade International, Rainforest Alliance, 4C and FiBL
Price premiums may be the main reason for getting certification, but there are other benefits that make it a good idea. First, certification standards are clear guidelines to help you manage your business better. Second, certification bodies also provide extras, like access to training, expert advice and finance. Third, certified production means you will have more market access. It means you can sell to certified buyers as well as non-certified buyers.
Tips:
Make sure there is demand before you get organic certification. You will need to spend a lot to comply.
Learn more about the costs of certification. FLOCERT has a calculatorthat you can use to help work out how much becoming Fairtrade-certified will cost.
The share of Fairtrade-produced coffee sold as Fairtrade (with the premium) is very different depending on the producing country. Check the Fairtrade Coffee Dashboard to learn about your country.
Europe offers a large and stable market for Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee
Current Rainforest Alliance sales in Europe are comparable to global Rainforest Alliance sales. Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee went down by 11% globally in 2023.
Nespresso is a well-known and popular European coffee brand that is certified with the Rainforest Alliance label. About 40% of their coffee is Rainforest Alliance-certified. Large European retailers also sell Rainforest Alliance-certified coffees. These include the German Kaufland, Lidl and REWE, and the British ASDA.
The European market for organic coffee fluctuates
While it went up by 5.4% per year between 2019 and 2021, demand for organic coffee went down by 1% between 2021 and 2023. In 2023, organic imports went down by 9%. This is in line with European green coffee imports (-9.7%). So, demand should have gone back up by 2024.
Source: Traces and Eurostat
Europe offers a decent market for multi-certified coffee
Multi-certified coffee is coffee that is certified by multiple standards. The most common combination is Fairtrade and organic. In 2023, 304,000 tonnes of all Fairtrade-produced coffee were also certified as organic. This is 53% of all Fairtrade-certified coffee. It is not clear how much of this was also sold as double-certified coffee.
The outlook for third-party certified coffee is unclear. Sustainability and responsible sourcing are now needed in the industry, driven by consumer demand and new regulations. However, how effective certification is depends on the situation, and there are several points that are unclear:
The gap between supply and demand is getting smaller, but it is still notable. It mainly depends on consumer preferences.
Company sustainability standards are often less clear and aim to achieve less. They are on the rise. It is unclear to what extent companies will choose to show how sustainable they are, and whether consumers will consider these certifications as serious choices.
Regulatory changes may make some sustainability standards necessary for everyone, or mandatory. If the EU has mandatory sustainability rules on its coffee imports, the unique value of certification might diminish over time. You can read more about this in our study on entering the market for certified coffee.
3. Which European countries offer the most opportunities for certified coffee?
Certified coffee is getting more popular in Europe, but opportunities vary a lot by country. Northern and western Europe are the main sources of demand. Certification labels are well known and accepted there. However, certified coffee is still rare in most Southern and Eastern European markets, but interest in sustainable coffee consumption is growing.
In 2023, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland were the largest certified green coffee importers.
4C is very important for the European market. However, we cannot provide statistics on 4C certification because they are not available at the country level.
Germany offers the largest market for certified coffee
Germany has a large market for Fairtrade-certified coffee
Fairtrade Germany reported that 24,057 tonnes of coffee consumed in Germany was Fairtrade-certified in 2022. This is about 5% of total coffee consumption.
Statista reports that about 72% of this 5% was also organic-certified. This percentage has been steady since 2011 (between 68% and 78%). This means that around 4% of all coffee sales in Germany were Fairtrade organic-certified in 2023.
The largest German retailers sell Fairtrade organic coffee. ALDI sells Fairtrade organic coffee under its brand Simply Nature. Lidl sells Fairtrade organic coffee under its brand Café del Mundo. REWE also sells Fairtrade organic coffee.
Germany is Europe’s second-largest Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee importer
Germany is the second-largest Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee importerin the world. In 2023, Germany imported 132,000 tonnes. This is 7% less than in 2022. This decrease is mainly caused by smaller overall coffee imports in 2023. Only Switzerland imports more than Germany. It imported 249,000 tonnes in 2023. Rainforest Alliance imports were expected to recover in 2024.
Based on Traces data, Germany is Europe’s largest market for organic certified coffee. In 2023, Germany imported over 58,000 tonnes of organic green coffee. Germany’s leading suppliers were Honduras (24,000 tonnes) and Peru (17,000 tonnes).
Exporters of organic coffee will find a competitive market. Germany is known as the best destination for producers of organic-certified coffee. German traders of organic coffees include Bernhard Rothfos, InterAmerican Coffee, List + Beisler and Rehm & Co.
Look for possible buyers online if you supply certified coffee. You can find German importers of Fairtrade-certified coffee on the Fairtrade Germany website.
Highlight the sustainable and ethical aspects of your production process and support this with certification. Read our study on doing business with European coffee buyers for more tips on marketing and promoting your coffee.
Visit German trade fairs to meet possible buyers. BIOFACH, a German trade organisation, organises fairs for organic foods.
The Belgian market for certified coffee is growing
Belgium is one of the main coffee trade hubs in Europe. Over 64% of its imports are re-exported to other European countries. This amounted to 176,000 tonnes of green coffee re-exports in 2023. This makes Belgium the largest re-exporter in Europe. It is unclear what share of Belgian re-exports were certified coffee. Exact figures are unavailable, but they are likely very high.
Rainforest Alliance is growing in Belgium
In 2023, Belgium imported 30,000 tonnes of Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee. This is 3% more than in 2022, despite a 25% overall drop in green coffee imports.
Rainforest Alliance is the main sustainability label in major Belgian supermarkets. Lidl, Delhaize and ALDI have Rainforest Alliance-certified coffees. More and more supermarket chains are committing to certification. It also applies to their private-label brands.
Organic imports are growing
Belgium imported 30,000 tonnes of organic green coffee in 2023. This is 22% of all European organic green coffee imports. Imports grew at an average yearly rate of 3.7% between 2019 and 2023. Demand mainly grew in 2022–2023, at a rate of 13.8%. Belgian organic imports accounted for 10.8% of all green coffee imports.
Belgium's retail scene is mixed. Both large chains and small stores sell organic coffee. Demand has pushed large retailers, like Delhaize, Colruyt and Carrefour, to make their organic lines larger. They often offer organic coffee brands at competitive prices. In 2023, the coffee retail market was worth about €600 million. Organic coffee made up 6–8% of this.
Over 10% of all coffee imports were Fairtrade-certifiedin 2023. This is a small increase from 9% in 2022. In absolute numbers, Fairtrade imports grew less. This is because 2023 saw a 2.4% decline in green coffee imports.
Swedish imports of organic green coffee amounted to 13,000 tonnes in 2023. Between 2019 and 2023, imports declined at an average yearly rate of -7.2%. This was mainly caused by a decline in general coffee imports. They declined from 96,000 tonnes in 2019 to 83,000 tonnes in 2023. In 2023, 15.9% of imports were organic green coffee. This is the highest share of all European countries.
Swedish roasters usually work with certified coffee. These include Arvid Nordquist, Löfbergsand Zoégas. Together with Gëvalia, part of Kraft Heinz, they control most of the market. Gëvalia does not generally buy certified coffee. These roasters mostly purchase their coffee through large multinational traders, including:
The French market for certified coffee is stabilising after years of growth
France offers a stable organic coffee market
France is Europe’s fourth-largest importer of organic green coffee. With a volume of 13,148 tonnes in 2023, it scored just below Sweden (13,270 tonnes). Germany (58,375 tonnes) and Belgium (29,522 tonnes) were the market leaders. The share of re-exports is unclear. French imports of organic coffee increased between 2018 and 2020. They were stable between 2020 and 2023. The outlook for organic coffee is unclear.
After several years of growth, the Fairtrade coffee market in France experienced a slight decline in volume. In 2023, 13,184 tonnes of Fairtrade coffee were sold (-7% compared to 2022).
Les Cafés Dagobert is a French roaster that works a lot with Max Havelaar-certified coffee. As well as its Max Havelaar certification, the company works with coffee certified by Fair for Life. All of the company’s coffee is certified organic.
Demand for Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee in France is on the rise
France has fairly high demand for products with Rainforest Alliance certification. It accounts for 6% of France’s total imports. Some of this 6% is re-exported.
French imports of Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee rose in 2023, despite a global decline. Its imports of Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee increased from 6,400 tonnes in 2022 to 14,000 tonnes in 2023. This differed from the global trend. Global Rainforest Alliance-certified imports dropped by 11%.
Find possible organic buyers through the l’Agence Bio website. You can sort by speciality stores, wholesalers, restaurants, large general stores and traders.
The Netherlands offers a large but declining market for certified coffee
The Netherlands is the fourth-largest Rainforest Alliance coffee importer worldwide. With 94,600 tonnes imported in 2023, it is smaller than Switzerland, Germany and Singapore. Rainforest Alliance saw a huge 33% decline in 2023, despite a 50% increase in green coffee imported directly from producing countries.
The Netherlands ranks seventh among the largest organic importers. With 2,569 tonnes in 2023, it ranked below Spain (3,945 tonnes) but above Denmark (2,493 tonnes). Dutch organic coffee imports declined a lot in 2023: over 25% since 2022.
In the Netherlands, around 5% of coffee is Fairtrade-certified. Rainforest Alliance and organic declined. However, Fairtrade volumes stayed at the same level. Between 2022 and 2024, roasted coffee volumes amounted to 5,500 tonnes, 5,400 tonnes and 5,700 tonnes, respectively. Fairtrade sales in the Netherlands are roughly equally distributed between retail and out-of-home.
Larger Dutch roasters that work with certified coffee include JDE Peet’s, MAAS and Selecta.
Switzerland is the largest importer of Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee
Switzerland is the world’s largest importer of Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee. In 2023, the Swiss imported 249,000 tonnes of Rainforest Alliance-coffee. This is almost double that of Germany. Rainforest Alliance coffee imports dropped by 11% in 2023. This is in line with the global import drop for Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee.
The Swiss like organic food. In 2023, they spent €468 per person on organic food, which is very high. The Germans, for instance, spent €191 per person on organic food.
4. Which trends offer opportunities or pose threats in the European certified coffee market?
Global trends are changing the coffee market. We describe the most important trends in our study on trends in the coffee sector. Most trends also apply to certified coffee. In this section, we discuss two trends that are very important for certified coffee.
At the same time, multi-stakeholder initiatives help the coffee sector address global challenges. These initiatives bring together coffee companies, farmers, non-profits and governments. They work together on issues like climate change, deforestation and poverty. For example, the Global Coffee Platform (GCP) brings all these groups together to set shared goals for coffee sustainability. Another initiative, the Sustainable Coffee Challenge, works to make coffee the world’s first entirely sustainable agricultural product. ICO’s Coffee Public Private Task Force (CPTTF) aims to find answers to the main sustainability challenges by aligning the public and private sector.
In 2020, just 4.4% of GCP members sourced their coffee according to a company standard. In 2023, that rose to 21.0%. GCP members do not represent the whole market: they handle 21% of global green coffee exports.
However, many company standards and initiatives have a problem: they are not transparent. They often fail to explain how their programmes work clearly, or what results they achieve. For instance, some critics worry that company standards, like CAFE Practices, are marketing tools rather than real change. Without solid data or independent evaluation, it is hard for consumers and farmers to know whether these programmes work as promised.
This trend of companies creating in-house sustainability standards puts pressure on third-party certifications like Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, organic and 4C. Consumers have previously trusted these independent standards to ensure ethical and sustainable practices. However, as big coffee companies prioritise their own programmes, independent standard bodies must show they are still relevant and offer real impact that consumers and farmers can rely on.
The rise of company standards adds further confusion for producer organisations and exporters. They face too many options. In Brazil, for example, there are 15 different certification schemes recognised by the Global Coffee Platform. These are third-party and private-sector standards. Colombia has 14, while Vietnam has 12. There are even more certification schemes that are not Global Coffee Platform-recognised, such as Bird-Friendly and Demeter.
European legislation is becoming stricter
New European laws push companies to be more responsible for human rights and environmental challenges. For example, the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) makes companies prove their coffee supply chains do not cause deforestation. The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) will make companies responsible for protecting human rights and the environment throughout their supply chains. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) means companies need to report on how their activities affect people and the planet.
These regulations raise the bar for voluntary sustainability standards. In the past, companies used certification labelling by Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade to demonstrate they met basic sustainability standards. These labels showed consumers that products were produced ethically and good for the environment.
However, growing worries about greenwashing and the complexity of global supply chains mean companies need to go beyond certification. Companies must collect detailed data, map and monitor their supply chains, and provide proof that their products do not contribute to deforestation, human rights abuse or environmental harm. Voluntary certification alone no longer meets these demands. It must be part of a broader, provable strategy.
Certified coffees find a large market in Europe. This is largely because of the importance of retailers as main sales channels for coffee across Europe, and their strong commitment to certification. However, as a coffee exporter, always check for demand, possible market channels and return on investment before engaging in certification trajectories.
Lisanne Groothuis, Market Researcher
Besides premiums and other advantages, Fairtrade offers training, so Fairtrade producers and traders can gain better access to the market.
Yme Quispel, Business Development Manager, Fairtrade
