Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award 2024: The Future Of Coffee Takes Center Stage At The United Nations – CoffeeTalk

The Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award 2024 was held at the United Nations Headquarters to address the urgent need to transition coffee cultivation to a regenerative model to enhance resilience, improve farmer livelihoods, and reduce environmental impact. The panel, moderated by Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation, brought together renowned leaders and visionaries in coffee and sustainability, including Andrea Illy, Chairman of illycaffè and co-Chair of the Regenerative Society Foundation; Massimo Bottura, world-renowned chef and UN Goodwill Ambassador; Jamil Ahmad, Director of the UNEP New York Office; Andrea De Marco, Project Manager at UNIDO; Raina Lang, Senior Director of Sustainable Coffee at Conservation International; and Vanusia Nogueira, Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization.

The panel emphasized the importance of uniting stakeholders from governments, international organizations, and the private sector to bring impactful, lasting change to coffee-growing communities. Consumer awareness and participation are key drivers in the industry’s sustainability journey. Massimo Bottura, Chef Patron Osteria Francescana and Casa Maria Luigia, Founder Food for Soul, UNEP Goodwill Ambassador, and SDG Advocate, contributed with his unique perspective, “Coffee is about emotion. We have to improve the act of drinking a cup of coffee from a routine to a conscious act of support.”

Vanusia Nogueira, Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization, said that the fund represents a crucial step towards building resilience, ensuring sustainable livelihoods, and preserving coffee’s future. Together, through public-private partnerships and global commitment, we can empower these communities to adapt, thrive, and continue sharing coffee with the world.

The roundtable concluded with a powerful message to the global coffee community, financial institutions, and individual consumers: coffee-producing countries require significant investment and public-private cooperation to create scalable, resilient, and environmentally-friendly agricultural practices.

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