Laying the groundwork for progress

Asobitico

•We support the work of the Costa Rican International Baccalaureate Association.
•More than 200 young people participated in training workshops given by our employees.

Coffee Tour

More than 500 children and young people visited our Coffee Tour free of charge to learn more about coffee culture and the sustainable development initiatives that the company leads.

Libros para todos
Books for All

More than 800 children received textbooks in public schools located in our areas of influence: Heredia, San Carlos, Guanacaste, and Biolley de Buenos Aires in Puntarenas.

Volunteer Program

Our corporate volunteer program develops projects and activities related to infrastructure improvements in educational centers, recovery of public space, reforestation, clearing of trails in protected areas, campaigns to support at-risk populations, and rescue centers for wildlife.

Professional Volunteers

More than 25 employees put their skills and knowledge to work at different non-governmental organizations, through projects that focused on design, technology, training, and guidance in human resources and marketing.

ENVIRONMENTAL PILLAR

Since its founding, Grupo Britt has continually implemented alternatives that reduce its environmental footprint and positively influence the lives of its employees, their families, neighbors, suppliers, and customers, in order to preserve the environment for future generations.

Total: 112 TONs
66% recovery

Offset of GHG Emissions

In 2017, Café Britt quantified, verified, and offset its inventory of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions for the year 2016 (assessed at 692.33 tons). For this, Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) were acquired through the transfer of technology for the generation of renewable energy in lieu of petroleum inputs for production.

Water and electricity consumption

We seek to reduce the consumption of water and electricity as much as possible by promoting energy efficiency in production, turning off air conditioners, equipment, and lighting at night, and using water-saving devices in bathrooms and sinks.

-34,824 kWh
Compared to 2016

-101,000 L
Compared to 2016

Extended Responsibility Program

The Britt Espresso Master Collector Program promotes the collection and upcycling of empty coffee capsules into plastic wood. In 2017, half a million plastic capsules were recovered, and a recycling station made of plastic wood was delivered to the República de Francia School in Pozos de Santa Ana.
In 2017, we started a project to replace our coffee capsules’ material with one that is more environmentally friendly. The experimental phase began by evaluating different bioplastics through biodegradability tests in various environments. One was found to be an excellent alternative—when subjected to a composting environment, it decomposes into the soil in about 180 days.

Communities

In 2017, Café Britt positively impacted our local environment by working in partnership with the communities of Barrio Jesús de Santa Bárbara and Mercedes Norte de Heredia. As part of our community involvement, Café Britt joined the Ecological Blue Flag Program Committee in Barrio Jesús, supporting clean-up days, recycling campaigns, public signage, and workshops and training for children, youth, and seniors. Likewise, the company opened its doors to community engagement activities.

Certifications

Grupo Britt’s management system is certified to ISO 14001: 2015, 28000: 2013, and 9001: 2015 standards, ensuring the quality of our products, the safety of our processes, and the reduction of our impact on the environment.
The Britt Coffee Tour holds a four-star Certificate of Sustainable Tourism through the Costa Rican Tourism Board, affirming our ability to offer visitors a product that promotes community development and, especially, environmental protection.
Our Peruvian operations were certified under ISO 28000, strengthening our supply chain.
In step with Costa Rica’s goal to become Carbon Neutral by 2021, Grupo Britt became, in 2013, one of the first companies to obtain this type of certification from the Ministry of the Environment, then verified by the Costa Rican Institute for Technical Norms (INTECO). At the beginning of 2014, we were approved to use the country brand Essential Costa Rica through PROCOMER, the foreign trade agency.