Balancing SCA Events' Carbon Footprint by Tree Planting

This year, Sucafina is proud to serve as Sustainable Expo Partner for both the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Expo in Houston, TX and World of Coffee in Geneva. On this Earth Day, we’re proud to share how the SCA will offset the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for both events by supporting tree planting and agroforestry in Burundi. This work is part of Sucafina's ongoing commitment in the region, led by Sucafina and implemented by the Kahawatu Foundation. 

This Article at a Glance 

• This initiative is situated within a wider strategy to scale regenerative agriculture, renovate trees and improve market access for Burundian coffee. 
• The tree planting sponsored by SCA will sequester an estimate of 2,000 MT of CO₂ emissions over a period of 5 years*. 
• Sucafina is also expanding carbon services to help clients reduce their footprint through agroforestry and carbon-smart projects. 

Making Coffee More Resilient, Together 

The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)’s Expo and World of Coffee are two of the industry’s biggest events of the year, bringing together producers, traders and roasters to shape the future of coffee. However, global gatherings such as these come with a carbon footprint. This year, SCA has assessed the carbon footprint for both events and selected Sucafina as their offset partner. With projects running across several origins and deep roots in Burundi, we’re well placed to deliver solutions that are practical, effective and built around the needs of coffee-growing communities. 

Carbon Emissions into Agroforestry Projects 

SCA’s contribution will support tree planting in Burundi, delivered in partnership with Sucafina and implemented by the Kahawatu Foundation. Combined, SCA Expo and World of Coffee are expected to generate 2,000 metric tons of CO₂ in 2025. To offset this, Sucafina will plant 22,000 seedlings, with 16,000 expected to survive and mature. Each tree will sequester about 125 kg of carbon in the next 5 years, balancing the events’ emissions*. 

"Bringing people together at events like SCA and WOC is key to growing our industry," said Giacomo Celi, Sucafina's Head of Partnerships. "Just as important is showing that, together, we can turn environmental challenges into opportunities that improve the lives of the farmers we work with." 

As climate change affects the entire coffee chain, building resilience is a key focus for Sucafina. Read here how IMPACT, our responsible sourcing program, is helping address these challenges. Partnering with SCA to capture carbon through tree planting ties into a broader strategy to scale regenerative farming, renew aging trees and strengthen market access for Burundian coffee. Together, SCA, Sucafina and Kahawatu Foundation are linking global networking events with real, long-term impact for smallholder farmers. 

Impacting Burundi 

Within an in-country presence since 2007 (one of our first origin operations), Sucafina’s commitment in Burundi is grounded in a deep, long-term relationship. We source directly from 63,000 farmers and operate 22 washing stations. Around 35,000 of these farmers are engaged in training focusing on quality, productivity and climate-smart farming. 

In partnership with the Kahawatu Foundation, we support activities like seedling distribution, improved financial services and agriculture and livestock projects, all aimed at building resilient livelihoods. These efforts also promote gender equity and youth inclusion in coffee farming. 

Every Bag Can Be Part of the Solution 

Our efforts don’t stop at these projects. Sucafina is also a potential insetting partner for roasters looking to reduce their footprint through carbon-smart actions at origin. These are carbon reduction projects that take place within the same supply chain that produce their coffee, making it easier for roasters and brands to meet sustainability goals while supporting the farmers behind every bag.  

Farms can play a big role in carbon capture, especially through tree planting. As trees grow, they store carbon through photosynthesis. Agroforestry initiatives are a natural fit for coffee because they lower emissions, build climate resilience and improve farmer incomes while opening the door to carbon credit programs within our supply chain. 

Since 2020, we’ve worked with Meo Carbon Solutions to measure emissions across 10 origins. With these insights, and support from Rabobank’s Acorn platform, we’re helping farmers plant more trees and adopt farming practices that store carbon and strengthen resilience. In Colombia, our partnership with Solidaridad is paving the way to offering full insetting services that give roasters a verified way to reduce their footprint while boosting farmer income and sustainability. 

Interested in discussing carbon insetting and agroforestry initiatives with us? Get in touch to learn how insetting can be part of your strategy.  

_{* 22,000 seedlings distributed with an average/expected 30% mortality rate, resulting in 16,000 trees established in coffee farms. The variety of trees will be distributed and, according to estimates, will capture an average of 125 kg CO2-e/tree over the course of 5 years. These numbers are estimates based on research and field experience and should be considered unverified.}