A Free Digital Tool from Fairtrade International Is Helping Coffee Cooperatives Meet Deforestation Regulations

BY DANIEL MURAGA
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Featured photo by Nischal Masand

What to know:

• Fairtrade launched Plot Insights, a free digital tool to help certified coffee and cocoa cooperatives prepare for EUDR requirements that will be effective in December 2026
• The tool helps cooperatives manage geolocation data, identify data errors, assess deforestation risks, and securely share information with trade partners
• Greater traceability could benefit the entire coffee supply chain, giving roasters and café owners more information about where their coffee comes from and how it was produced

Coffee lovers, whether they consider themselves connoisseurs or not, normally have some information about the coffee in their cup: whether it’s light or dark, where it was roasted, and how it was brewed. However, fewer consumers know the long story that unfolds leading up to the final tasting: details such as the exact coffee roaster, exporter, cooperative, origin coffee farm, and the farmer are often hidden from view. But in addition to drinking quality coffee, knowing where that coffee comes from—and the circumstances surrounding the supply chain—is increasingly becoming important for ensuring responsible and sustainable sourcing. This forms part of the basis upon which environmental regulations such as the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which starts applying to coffee in December 2026, are formed. 

For smallholder farmers in coffee-producing countries, meeting these new environmental requirements is not always easy. It requires farm mapping, recording GPS locations, monitoring deforestation, maintaining correct records, and professionally managing data. Even with strong producer-centered organizations like coffee cooperatives, navigating these changing market requirements requires proactive efforts, resources, and even external assistance. It is against this background that Fairtrade International has unveiled a new free digital tool, Plot Insights, to assist coffee and cocoa cooperatives in managing and validating geolocation data in line with the imminent EUDR enforcement. 

Plot Insights: A free digital tool for cooperatives

Unveiled earlier this year, Plot Insights is a free digital tool offered to cooperatives that are certified by Fairtrade. With this tool, cooperatives can upload farm plot geolocation data, receive instant feedback on data quality and visualization of any data errors, and get deforestation risk analysis. This analysis is provided through a Dutch nature technology company called Satelligence. 

“Farmers are having to adopt new digital tools and map farm plots, which is an expensive burden, to continue to be viable suppliers to the European market,” Brenda Marina Huerta García, Senior Advisor of Climate & Environment at Fairtrade International says. She adds that the Plot Insights tool offers the company’s cooperatives a free platform that enables them to check their geolocation data quality, receive deforestation risk analysis services from Satelligence, and share data with their customers, “all built with cooperatives in mind and to support environmental goals towards deforestation.”  

Brenda says that the tool not only provides secure, consent-based geolocation data management at no cost but also enables cooperatives to retain ownership and control of their data. Additionally, it helps streamline data sharing with trade partners. Equipped with this deforestation risk analysis, coffee and cocoa cooperatives can take further steps required by Fairtrade Standards, such as developing a risk mitigation strategy. This includes acting on deforestation alerts or planning education and ongoing monitoring for plots near protected areas. 

Ability to share data with exporters + importers worldwide

Starting this October, the Plot Insights tool will also enable coffee cooperatives to share their geolocation data with exporters and importers worldwide. This function is part of Fairtrade International’s sales transaction system called Fairtrace. These cooperatives will have the ability to choose or select farm plots and attach the appropriate geolocation data to a sales contract done between the cooperative, exporter, and importer. This data is then converted automatically into a format lined up with EU regulations. According to Fairtrade, the importer can then download and utilize the geolocation data as part of their due diligence process and attach it to the due diligence statement necessary for import. 

The tool is housed within Unify, a new centralized, private platform for the company’s digital systems. Fairtrade-certified producer cooperatives and organizations are the first beneficiaries, while other players such as traders, retailers and companies will be get access in later phases.

According to Fairtrade International, more than 800 certified coffee and cocoa cooperatives are currently getting help to adopt Plot Insights through its three regional producer networks: Fairtrade Africa, the Network of Asia & Pacific Producers (NAPP), and the Latin American and Caribbean Coordinator of Small Producers and Fair Trade Workers (CLAC). 

Compliance in East & Central Africa

Currently, 92% of Fairtrade-certified coffee producers in East and Central Africa are EUDR-ready, according to Fairtrade Africa. 

“EUDR readiness is about more than compliance,” the regional network asserts. “Better farm-level data can strengthen traceability, help cooperatives understand their production base, and support efforts to protect the forests, soil, water, and biodiversity that coffee production depends on.”

What this means for coffee buyers + café operators

For those on the roastery and café level, these changes may seem far removed from the day-to-day work of running a coffee shop, but they could ultimately shape how coffee is sourced and communicated throughout the industry. As regulations like the EUDR place greater emphasis on traceability and deforestation-free supply chains, café owners may want to ask their roasters and suppliers more questions about where their coffee comes from and how its sourcing information is verified. Tools like Plot Insights could make it easier for information to travel from producers and cooperatives through importers and roasters—and eventually to the café level.

Ggreater access to this information also creates an opportunity for café operators to be more transparent with customers, helping them better understand not only where their coffee was grown, but the environmental and social considerations behind it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Daniel Muraga (he/him) is a communications expert, researcher, writer, and editor based in Kenya with over 10 years of experience in the industry. His mission is to highlight Africa’s contributions to the realms of science, technology, innovation, culture, food, and related fields. He has done extensive research and written widely in the coffee niche for Sprudge Media, as well as in related areas for Life & Thyme and CQ Researcher, among others. When not writing, he is always outdoors communing with nature. You can find him on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

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