Utz Kapeh

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Utz Kapeh

Type	Limited company
Founded	Amsterdam, Netherlands (2002)
Headquarters	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Key people	David Rosenberg, Executive Director
Industry	Product certification
Employees	35 (2006)

1 Certified Responsible Coffee
2 Code of Conduct
3 Summary of the Code of Conduct
4 Certification
5 Pricing
6 Traceability
7 Utz Kapeh & Fairtrade
8 Criticism
9 External Links
10 References

[edit] Certified Responsible Coffee

Utz Kapeh, ‘good coffee’ in an old Mayan language from Guatemala, is the largest coffee certification program worldwide^[1]^[2]. Utz Kapeh is a foundation for world-wide implementation of a baseline standard for responsible coffee growing and sourcing. Utz Kapeh-certified cooperatives, estate farms and producer groups comply with the Utz Kapeh Code of Conduct. This Code is an internationally recognized set of criteria for professional coffee growing, which includes socially and environmentally appropriate coffee growing practices, and efficient farm management.

Utz Kapeh aims to answer two fundamental questions in relation to the international trade in coffee; where does your coffee come from, and how was it produced.

Utz Kapeh certified coffee is traceable from grower to roaster; they operate a track-and-trace system, showing the buyers of Utz Kapeh-certified coffee exactly where their coffee comes from. Some coffee brands and retailers also provide their customers with this transparency through on-line coffee tracers. Utz Kapeh-certified coffee is sold in more than 20 consuming countries like Netherlands, Belgium, France, UK, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Japan, US and Canada. Utz Kapeh-certified coffee producers are located in Latin America, Asia and Africa.

[edit] Code of Conduct

The Utz Kapeh certification program is based on the Utz Kapeh Code of Conduct: a set of social and environmental criteria for responsible coffee growing practices and efficient farm management. Coffee producers who are Utz Kapeh certified comply with this code.

Origins of the Code

The Utz Kapeh Code of Conduct was originally based on the EUREPGAP Protocol for Fruits and Vegetables. That Protocol was developed by leading European retailers and provides assurance of food safety and appropriate growing practices in fruits and vegetables. Utz Kapeh translated the EUREPGAP Protocol to the specific conditions of coffee production in 1997. Criteria from ILO(International Labor Organization) Conventions have also been added. The result is the Utz Kapeh Code of Conduct: an internationally accepted code for responsible coffee production.

Benchmarking

The Utz Kapeh Code of Conduct includes elements such as standards for recordkeeping, minimized and documented use of agrochemicals for crop protection, protection of labor rights and access to health care and education for employees and their families. It is officially benchmarked against EurepGAP's coffee code, and contains 100% of the EurepGAP coffee reference code, as well as additional social criteria.

Evaluation

The Code of Conduct is evaluated and revised every year through an internal and external revision procedure, using as input the experiences of producers, agronomists and certifiers working with the code. Technological, economic and social developments in the coffee industry are also included. Utz Kapeh consults with stakeholders throughout the coffee industry and with the EurepGAP technical standards committee.

[edit] Summary of the Code of Conduct

The criteria of the Utz Kapeh Code of Conduct fall into three categories:

Good Agricultural & Business practices

monitoring business processes
record keeping of fertilizers & agro chemicals
good housekeeping practices
workers trained properly
implementation of accident and emergency procedures
implementation of hygiene rules and practices
traceability of coffee
annual internal inspections

Social Criteria

workers are protected by national laws and ILO conventions regarding age, working hours, pensions, working conditions, collective bargaining and safety
workers receive training in their own language about safe handling of chemicals
workers receive protective clothing for the use of chemicals
access to health care for the workers and their families
access to education for children
access to decent housing
access to clean drinking water
freedom of cultural expression

Environmental Criteria

reduce and prevent soil erosion
responsible and minimal use of agrochemicals
implementation of Integrated Pest Management
minimize water usage and environmental pollution
minimize energy use
optimize use of sustainable energy sources
treatment of contaminated water
protecting water sources
no deforestation of primary forests
use of native tree species as coffee shade trees
protecting endangered species

[edit] Certification

Independent auditors make annual inspections to ensure coffee producers comply with the Utz Kapeh Code of Conduct.

Certification Body

A Certification Body (CB) is an independent, third-party certifier with ISO 65 accreditation. When approved by Utz Kapeh, the CBs conduct annual certification inspections of coffee producers to determine whether they comply with the Utz Kapeh Code of Conduct and Chain of Custody requirements.

Trained Agronomists

An Utz Kapeh trained agronomist is a technical consultant specifically trained in assisting producers to comply with the Utz Kapeh Code of Conduct. Trained agronomists can advise on practical implementation of elements of the Code and give directions on improvement of efficiency in farm management.

[edit] Pricing

Coffee with an Utz Kapeh certification has added value in the sense that it assures buyers that their coffee has been produced according to a baseline standard for responsible production, i.e. according to the Utz Kapeh Code of Conduct. An Utz Kapeh certification empowers coffee growers to negotiate a better price for their product. Buyers recognize this extra value by paying coffee growers a price premium for Utz Kapeh certified coffee.

The price for Utz Kapeh certified coffee is determined in the negotiation process between buyer and seller. Utz Kapeh does not interfere in price-negotiations.

[edit] Traceability

Utz Kapeh-certified coffee is traceable from producer to roaster. Utz Kapeh uses two elements to create traceability:

The Utz Kapeh web-based traceability system
Chain of Custody requirements

Web-based traceability system

When an Utz Kapeh certified coffee producer sells his coffee to a registered Utz Kapeh buyer, the coffee is announced in the Utz Kapeh web-based system. Utz Kapeh assigns a unique tracking number to this lot of coffee. This unique Utz Kapeh number travels with the coffee through the whole coffee chain. At the end of the coffee chain, the roaster uses the unique tracking number to know where his coffee was grown. Some brands use this unique tracking system to make the coffee traceable for their consumers.

Chain of Custody

To enhance the guarantee that coffee with an Utz Kapeh logo does indeed come from an Utz Kapeh certified producer, the Utz Kapeh program contains Chain of Custody requirements. This is a set of chain-wide administrative and technical requirements for traceability. These requirements include criteria for separation of Utz Kapeh coffee and non-Utz Kapeh coffee, and keeping records of direct suppliers and buyers.

[edit] Utz Kapeh & Fairtrade

Utz Kapeh and Fairtrade are both leading certification programs in the world of coffee. Though they share many similarities in terms of goals and ambitions within the international coffee market, the specifics regarding the method of operations in regard to certification, pricing and trading are very different. The two organisations have jointly published a document outlining each program^[3].

[edit] Criticism

Utz Kapeh certification, similarly to rival Rainforest Alliance coffee certification program, has been called "Fairtrade light" by critics, as it offers producers no minimum or guaranteed price for their crop. Utz Kapeh certified producer organizations are therefore highly vulnerable to the volatility of the coffee market.^[4] This major price difference makes the Utz Kapeh label considerably cheaper than Fairtrade for companies such as Sara Lee interested in tapping the ethical market.

Many have also criticized Utz Kapeh for not having clear requirements as regards to the remuneration of hired labor - in this respect, only national laws must be followed. In addition, several observers have criticized the scheme for its lack of crop prefinancing and producer support.