Café William continues to use wind-powered ship to transport coffee beans

Quebec’s Café William is set to sail a new cargo ship, transporting the equivalent of 50 shipping containers of green coffee beans, including those from the ANEI cooperative in Colombia, to Quebec.

Earlier, the coffee company sailed its first cargo from the port of Santa Marta in Colombia to North America carrying 72k kilos of coffee beans.

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 Dec. 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 at 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. Coffee beans from the ANEI have been certified organic and Fairtrade for over 10 years.

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 the world’s first 100 per cent electric industrial coffee roaster. According to the company, the roaster will avoid approximately 800 tons in CO2 equivalent emissions each year when compared to the company’s previous methods.