The Fundamentals of Coffee Sustainability course covers the major sustainability issues facing the coffee industry today, providing a basic knowledge of the term sustainability, including its connection to power dynamics, current and historical events and practices, and a variety of Coffee Project. Participants can look forward to gaining the skills and knowledge to start implementing meaningful change within their own companies, or prepare to enroll in intermediate or professional courses.

This course is designed to be broadly applicable and attractive to coffee novices as well as coffee professionals from all backgrounds who have a growing interest in sustainability knowledge, to become better stewards of sustainability in their current role or company, or Develop new skills to support existing initiatives or goals. Anyone working in the coffee industry will benefit from this course.

The intermediate course builds on the concepts introduced in the foundation course, developing students’ ability to analyse and interpret a variety of sustainability projects across all parts of the value chain. At the intermediate level, students will expand their exposure to different sustainability approaches in value chains, gain a deep understanding of the defining issues of at least two parts of a value chain; enrich their understanding of collective action and the platforms that exist to collaborate, leverage resources and share; evaluate case studies and sustainability research, projects, programs and/or business decisions; and develop initial plans to advance sustainability initiatives in their own context.

This course is ideal for coffee professionals who want to further their coffee sustainability research, develop critical thinking skills and start developing personal sustainability projects.

The professional-level course provides an intensive, hands-on experience in which participants design, implement and evaluate their own sustainability projects in line with personal, organizational or business objectives and capabilities. During the course, participants will identify measures of accountability, success, and progress on a sustainability issue of the participant’s choice; engage broadly in sustainability debates on policy and practice at multiple points in the value chain; lead others in discussion and practice on these issues; serve as advocates for smart sustainability planning within the coffee industry through education on tradeoffs, sustainability costs, and concepts; and finally develop, implement, and evaluate a sustainability effort that (a) fits the student’s personal, business, or organizational capabilities, (b) can be measured and tracked, and (c) includes structures for accountability.

This course is ideal for coffee professionals seeking to go through the process of designing, developing, and implementing a sustainability project. Professional courses are designed to be taught over a period of several months, through classes (online or face-to-face) to support participants as they design and execute their projects.