The 4C Association Kicks-off its New Business Model

Bonn, 28 March 2011. The 4C Executive Board announced today that the 4C Association will start the transition
phase to enforce its new business model, which will be fully operational by the beginning of 2012. The business
model was first approved by the 4C Council during its last meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, on 15 February. This
new focus will allow the 4C Association to adapt its modus operandi to better serve the needs of its members in
the current coffee market context.
“With its new business model, the 4C Association will focus on core activities to serve members’ interests and
particularly encourage the demand of 4C Compliant Coffee in the market. The new model also reflects 4C
Members’ ambition to transform the Association into THE network of genuinely committed actors who work
together to address the sustainability issues of the sector in a pre-competitive manner. I am looking forward to
this new 4C Association which I believe will play a crucial role in shaping the future development of a sustainable
coffee sector”, says Diego Pizano-Salazar, the President of the 4C Association.
The 4C Association received broad support from its members, many of whom committed to making an extra
financial contribution totalling € 440,000 to ensure a smooth transition into the new model.
Shift to a demand driven approach:
The shift to the new business model will not affect the mission or vision of the 4C Association. The 4C
Association will continue working to achieve its goal of building a sustainable mainstream coffee community
through 100% sector compliance to – at least – baseline sustainability standards.
However, to achieve this goal, the 4C Association will now shift from a supply driven to a demand driven
approach. The former approach was key to the starting phase of the 4C Project a decade ago. It helped in
building up a supply of 4C Compliant Coffee, training producers in the application of the 4C baseline
sustainability standard and broadening the network of partners and members. By building on these initial
successes, the new demand driven approach will also make the 4C system much more commercially viable.
As part of the new business model, the 4C Association will focus on a core set of services that are beneficial to
all its members. Core services include, among others, setting and maintaining the 4C baseline standard, defining
the rules of the verification system, providing producers with access to tools and information on sustainability
practices, acting as a multi-stakeholder exchange platform and actively promoting all sustainability standards in
the market. Core services are thought as those key activities that are beneficial to all members.
In addition, members will be able to acquire tailor-made services on demand at an extra cost such as trainings,
communication services or personalized guidance on verification requirements. In this way, 4C Members will be
able to better define their needs and receive those additional services they deem necessary.
As part of the new model, the 4C Association will also strengthen its pre-competitive platform function. Through
this platform, stakeholders can address topics affecting sustainable development like climate change, access to
finance, aging farmer population etc. Finally, the 4C Association will also strengthen its collaboration with other
sustainability standards by promoting them in the market and encouraging their participation in the Association.
In the coming months, the 4C Association will work out the details to put its new business model into practice.
This will ensure the Association enters 2012 fully equipped to start working in accordance with the new model.

Within the 4C Association, producers, trade and industry and civil society from around the world work together for more sustainability in the entire coffee sector. This global community has joined forces to continuously improve the social, environmental and economic conditions for the people making their living from coffee.
Main pillars of the association, established in 2006, are a code of conduct, rules of participation for trade and industry, support services for coffee farmers, a verification system and the participatory governance structure.
Please visit www.4c-coffeeassociation.org for the latest activities and in-depth information on the 4C Association

4C Association
Veronica Perez
Adenauerallee 108
53115 Bonn
Tel.: +49 (0) 176 27424440
Fax: +49 (0) 228 850 50 20
e-mail: veronica.perez@4c-coffeeassociation.org

This release was published on openPR.