GCP, representing more than 150 coffee stakeholders from across the sector, welcomes Adriana Mejía Cuartas as Chair of the Board as Carlos Brando’s term comes to an end.

BONN, GERMANY (5 March 2024). The Global Coffee Platform (GCP), representing more than 150 coffee stakeholders from across the sector, announced Adriana Mejía Cuartas as Chair of the Board. The appointment comes at a pivotal time for the sustainability platform, which has launched the implementation stage of its strategy with common sustainability tools for its growing membership and farmer-centric entrepreneurial collective action programs in coffee producing countries.

As both a fourth-generation coffee grower and business leader, Mejía brings more than 25 years of coffee and sustainability experience to the new role, saying that this appointment holds “profound personal significance”.

“It goes beyond being just a role; it is the continuation of a legacy – a commitment to stewarding our beloved coffee industry into a sustainable and prosperous future,” Mejía said on the news of her appointment, adding that it was a role she accepted as a “great honor” and with “enthusiasm”.

An ambitious approach to moving the needle on coffee sustainability

The announcement comes as the platform starts implementation work towards its ambitious GCP 2030 Goal, aiming at transformational change on the prosperity of more than one million farmers in more than 10 countries through advancing sustainable coffee production, climate adaptation and mitigation, and workers’ wellbeing. Mejía, who will be supported by Immediate Past Chair, Carlos Brando, for the duration of 2024, will prioritize resource mobilization and focused execution.

“GCP’s ambitious approach to moving the needle on coffee sustainability and farmer prosperity, positions the platform as a beacon of innovative collaboration, bringing together stakeholders from every corner of the globe to address some of the most critical challenges and opportunities experienced by the industry,” said Mejía.

“As we embark on this journey together, my focus will be on further translating dialogue into decisive action. While communication and discourse are essential, the time for action at scale is now. This needs innovative approaches to collective action, co-responsibility and co-investments. We must empower coffee growers to embrace entrepreneurship, equipping them with the tools and resources needed to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape. I am deeply committed to advancing GCP’s farmer-centric agenda towards our 2030 goal, both locally and globally, ensuring that their voices remain at the forefront of our efforts.”

“Together, let us embrace the challenge before us with courage and determination. Let us dare to do things differently, to push boundaries, and to transform aspirations into concrete outcomes.

I invite each of you to join me on this journey as we shape the future of sustainable coffee, one cup at a time.”

Adriana Mejía Cuartas
GCP Board Chair

According to the outgoing chair, Brando believes the appointee is ideally qualified for the role. “Coming from a coffee producing country and knowing not only coffee growers’ realities but also the paths to make them more sustainable and the challenges to fund the changes required, Adriana brings excellent experience and expertise to the GCP Board to help propel GCP to a next level.”

“Having led a process that consolidated GCP’s foundations, ensured growing membership and new partners, developed a new strategy with a clear focus and measurable results and started a new phase for GCP, which has been successfully kick-started mid-2023 with more than $1.5 million kick-off funding towards GCP’s ambitious goal, I am convinced GCP – through its membership and country platforms – is ready to move into focused implementation,” said Brando.

And it is that focused implementation that Mejía will be leading together with the GCP Board and supported by the GCP Global Team.

“Under the exemplary leadership of my predecessor, Carlos Brando, GCP has made remarkable strides as a relatively young organization. Building upon these foundations, my aim is to further enhance our impact and reach, leveraging the expertise and dedication of our board and the entire GCP membership community.”

Brando added that during his time chairing the board, composed of “high-level leaders of companies and organizations that are directly or indirectly involved with the coffee supply chain and have business relationships with each other, I am most proud of being able to have the board think and act as GCP and strategically lead the global and country teams to move GCP onto a new path of relevance for the sustainability of the coffee business. I am sure Adriana will continue this mission and take it to a higher level”.

“We’re at an exciting stage to advance towards sustainable sourcing and towards farmer prosperity through innovative collective action with and through GCP Members and Country Platforms. We’re delighted to have Adriana on board to bring new insights and energy to further propel this effort by GCP Members and partners in shared responsibility for coffee sustainability,” said Annette Pensel, GCP’s Executive Director.

Pensel went on to thank the Immediate Past Chair. “We are deeply grateful to Carlos for his six years of service and for moving GCP into this new phase.”

“The board’s combined knowledge, reach and dedication will be instrumental to enabling measurable results on coffee sustainability and farmer prosperity that address our members’ key sustainability business challenges,” said Pensel.

ENDS.