Café William launches inaugural voyage of wind-powered cargo ship

SHERBROOKE — Café William announced the inaugural voyage of a new sailing cargo ship, transporting the equivalent of 50 shipping containers of green coffee beans, including those from the ANEI cooperative in Colombia, to Québec.

Joining forces with TransOceanic Wind Transport (TOWT), an organization that aims to decarbonize maritime transport through wind-powered sailing cargo ships, Café William will transport 10 times more beans than its trial voyage in December 2023 for the company’s Wind Series and other sustainable-focused offerings.

“We’re thrilled to partner with TOWT to fulfill our mission of acting beyond the cup and set a precedent for other players in the sector,” said Serge Picard, chief innovation and commercial officer of Café William. “It was vital for us to find an alternative method of transporting coffee, which largely depends on fossil-fuel cargo ships. Our first voyage proved that we could use sail power to bring beans to Canada but this, much larger boat, will allow us to sustain operations and move toward zero-emission coffee,” he added.

“Maritime transport is closely linked to some of the world’s largest crises – geopolitical, energy and environmental,” said Guillaume Le Grand, co-founder and CEO of TOWT. “Our goal is to revolutionize the industry with an offer that is ultimately as fast as fossil fuel merchant ships, and we’re doing just that with the inaugural voyage of our first TOWT sailing cargo ship. We’re happy to work with businesses like Café William to not only meet customer demand for products transported in a decarbonized way but also to have a long-lasting positive impact on two of the world’s largest industries – transportation and coffee.”

A portion of the beans aboard the TOWT come from the ANEI cooperative, which is certified organic and Fairtrade. Fairtrade-certified coffee beans come from farms where the farmers are provided with fair compensation and the support they need to maintain sustainable livelihoods. Organic coffee beans are produced in a balanced ecosystem free of chemicals and pesticides.

“The partnership between the ANEI cooperative and Café William is a perfect example of what Fairtrade is all about – fostering thriving relationships between business and coffee-growing communities that lead to positive change for people and the planet,” says Julie Francoeur, CEO, of Fairtrade Canada.

Upon arrival in Canada, the beans will be roasted at Café William’s factory in Québec, which is home to 100 per cent electric industrial coffee roaster. The roaster boasts an annual capacity of 20 million pounds of coffee and is expected to avoid approximately 800 tonnes in CO2 equivalent emissions each year when compared to the company’s previous methods.