The Sustainable Coffee Challenge recently welcomed new partner Massimo Zanetti Beverage Co. The Sustainable Coffee Challenge aims to make coffee the first globally sustainable agricultural product.

“Massimo Zanetti joins the Challenge at a significant time for the coffee industry,” said Bambi Semroc,vice president of sustainable markets and strategy at Conservation International. “As one of the larger coffee roasters in the United States, we are excited to see the company join in this global effort, demonstrating that sustainability is relevant across many market segments.”

In addition to soucing coffee from farmers across the globe, Massimo Zanetti Beverage Co. runs a coffee farm operation on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, utilizing renewable energy in the form of hydroelectricity. The same water then runs through 2,500 miles of drip tubing in an efficient drip irrigation system to water and fertilize the coffee trees away from pesticides and dust. Elements used in the irrigation and fertilizing process are cleaned and reused in the fields after composting them on site, including coffee-cherry pulp and mulch from any pruning.

Massimo Zanetti Beverage Co. strives for a low-carbon footprint with its single-source supplier distribution system where only a single truck is used for coffee delivery.

The coffee company has also been streamlining its use of plastics to cut out waste. It designs more sustainable cups, which use 30 percent less plastic than a traditional plastic single-serve cup.

“We may be one of the world’s leading coffee companies, but as we see it, our corporate responsibility extends well beyond our customers and shareholders to the entire planet and everyone on it,” said Brian Kubicki, vice president of marketing for Massimo Zanetti Beverage. “That’s why we’re committed to good environmental stewardship and community involvement.”

The Sustainable Coffee Challenge, formed by Conservation International and Starbucks and launched during the Paris climate meetings in 2015, is uniting players from across the coffee industry. It aims to stimulate greater demand for sustainable coffee while partnering to find solutions to mitigate impacts of climate change and other stressors.

Massimo Zanetti Beverage Co. is among the nation’s largest coffee roasters. Its manufacturing facility in Suffolk produces proprietary and private-label coffee with nationally recognized retail brands including Chock full o’Nuts, Hills Bros., Segafredo Zanetti, Kauai Coffee and others.