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Hamburg, March 31, 2026: International Coffee Partners (ICP) – comprising Delta Cafés of Portugal, Franck of Croatia, Joh. Johannson Kaffe of Norway, Lavazza of Italy, Lö@ergs of Sweden, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe of Germany, and Tchibo of Germany – celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. In 2001, during the devastating coffee crisis, a group of dedicated European coffee companies decided to cooperate pre-competitively to support resilient coffee farming and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farming families. In the past 25 years, the six ICP shareholders have invested 25 million Euros in ICP activities mobilizing additional resources from donor organizations and other partners for fostering effective solutions that lead to meaningful change.
25 Years of Meaningful Change
In 2026, ICP is marking 25 years of continuous support for smallholder farming families and communities. Back in 2001, ICP has embarked on a continuous learning journey with its project work based on the realities of smallholder farmers with all their complexities and needs. The idea is to understand the farmers’ perspectives, meet their expectations, and encourage their ownership. This led to the development of a holistic approach in which ICP focuses its activities not only on productivity and quality of coffee but truly emphasizes the comprehensive livelihood situation of smallholder families addressing family business, farmer organizations, climate resilience, youth engagement, gender equity and equal participation of women and men in decision making.
“Our partnership has invested 25 million Euros in ICP activities in the past 25 years promoting meaningful change”, says Rui Miguel Nabeiro, Chair of the Steering Committee of International Coffee Partners. “Making coffee farming resilient and securing a more prosperous future for farmer families and communities are issues we all need to work on together. It was and it is clear to us that by bundling know-how and resources among us and with farmer communities we can achieve more.”
Back in 1999, Michael R. Neumann began working towards a joint development initiative, which lead to the foundation of ICP in 2001. The basis was responsible family entrepreneurship on the part of the European shareholders, with the aggregation of each individual shareholder’s sustainability efforts into one package offering clear advantages.

“It is impressive to realize that its entrepreneurial and ethical approach bore fruit for 25 years in 2026. This exemplifies how consistent and collaborative efforts can lead to meaningful holistic change for the benefit of our partners, the smallholder coffee farming communities in Africa and many other countries”, says Michael R. Neumann.
Impact on the Ground: Improved Coffee Farming and Livelihoods
Since 2001, more than 125,700 farming families have been engaged in ICP projects in 13 coffee producing countries. Sustainable agricultural practices and diversified production systems at the farm level have supported smallholder families to improve coffee farming. Tools and practices to support adaptation have enhanced the resilience of farming families in the face of changing climate conditions. Smallholder farmers have been supported in growing additional crops to diversify their production for their own food security and to successfully market their products to generate additional family income, and improve their livelihoods.
“Over the past decade, ICP projects in the Amhara region have pioneered an integrated approach that goes beyond supporting smallholder coffee production. By combining climate-smart coffee production practices, strengthened cooperative governance, youth empowerment, and the Gender Household Approach, the projects have contributed to building more resilient and sustainable smallholder coffee-farming households and communities.”- Rahel Adugna, Co-Country Manger, Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung Ethiopia
To this end, working towards establishing and professionalizing farmer organizations and cooperatives has turned out crucial as they provide member farmers access to relevant services and competitive markets. Since 2001, ICP has worked with more than 2,700 farmer organizations across its project regions, supporting the establishment of new organizations and the further development of existing ones.
With designated trainings, women and youth have been strengthened to participate in decision-making at all levels and become change agents in their communities. In 2025, 22% of all training participants were young farmers aged 18 to 35, and 45% were women.
As part of a long-term and global partnership, all ICP projects are implemented by Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung (HRNS), currently in Brazil, Ethiopia, Honduras, Indonesia, Tanzania, Uganda.
“In Indonesia, ICP operates not as a stand-alone project, but as a catalyst for strengthening the farmers’ position in the coffee sector. The most important learning from the Indonesia experience is that inclusive, long-term engagement is essential to achieve structural change in the coffee sector”, says Arman Ginting, Co-Country Director HRNS Indonesia. “When ICP engagement began in the regions where we work, coffee sourced from these areas was widely perceived as second-class, characterized by low and inconsistent quality. At that time, few companies were willing to source directly from farmers or cooperatives. Today, the situation has changed fundamentally. Many cooperatives effectively bridge farmers and export companies.”
Long-Term Commitment and Sustainable Transformation
In the face of falling yields, rising costs, and growing global uncertainty, ICP remains a

withdrawn altogether in several countries. These developments highlight the urgency of long-term action and pre-competitive investment.
“ICP remains committed to its long-term approach and continues contributing to the sustainable transformation of the coffee sector”, says Rui Miguel Nabeiro. “By sharing experiences and knowledge gained together with farming families and other sector stakeholders, we provide evidence of what can be achieved when pressing issues in coffee communities and landscapes are addressed pre-competitively and collectively.
 
About International Coffee Partners
(ICP) is a pre-competitive partnership of the leading family-owned European coffee companies, Delta Cafés of Portugal, Franck of Croatia, Joh. Johannson Kaffe of Norway, Lavazza of Italy, Löfbergs of Sweden, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe of Germany, and Tchibo of Germany. It supports smallholder coffee farmers to improve their livelihoods by becoming more competitive, based on sustainable practices. In doing so, ICP aims at contributing to a fair and sustainable coffee sector in all coffee-producing countries. Since 2001, ICP has already worked with more than 125,700 smallholder farming families in 13 countries.
 
Media Contact Alexandra Güntzer ICP Communication
alexandra.guentzer@hrnstiftung.org

The Ethiopian government has officially announced the deferral of its Eurobond debt payment obligations to the next fiscal year. This decision is framed as a core component of a broad macroeconomic reform aimed at shifting the country’s debt distress rating from “High Risk” to “Moderate Risk.”

According to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) , although a partial payment for the $1 billion Eurobond was initially anticipated for the 2025/26 fiscal year, the payment has now been rescheduled. Finance Minister Ahmed Shide clarified that this rescheduling is not a sign of financial instability, but rather a mandatory requirement under the G20 Common Framework.

The Minister explained that the framework follows the principle of “Comparability of Treatment,” which ensures that private bondholders do not receive more favorable payment terms than official bilateral creditors. This alignment is necessary to maintain equity among all lending parties involved in the restructuring process.

The extension of the Eurobond payment is one of three pillars the government identifies as strategic victories for the country’s financial future. The first is support from multilateral institutions; Ethiopia has secured significant Balance of Payments and fiscal support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Combined with budget support and project financing from the World Bank and other development partners, this creates substantial financial capacity.

The second pillar involves bilateral debt restructuring. The government successfully led complex negotiations with the Official Creditor Committee (OCC), resulting in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a general common framework with 15 creditor nations.

The third pillar is debt sustainability, with the ultimate goal of lowering Ethiopia’s Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) result to “Moderate Risk,” which will facilitate better access to international credit financing in the future.

While Eurobond negotiations continue through alternating points of agreement and divergence, the government reported success with bilateral partners.

Specifically, negotiations with China, Ethiopia’s largest bilateral creditor, have reached a critical stage. A “Minutes of Negotiation” was recently signed, and the final legal document is expected to be signed within the coming weeks.

During a recent nine-month report to Parliament, Ahmed Shide confirmed that Ethiopia will begin making certain payments to China within the remaining two months of the current fiscal year.

This indicates that the debt restructuring process is transitioning toward a regular payment schedule under a new agreement.

Negotiations with private Eurobond holders remain a highly sensitive issue. The Minister noted, “Sometimes we agree, and sometimes differences arise.” Any agreement made with private creditors must be approved by the OCC to ensure the terms are consistent with the concessions granted by other sovereign governments.

Despite the complexities of the negotiations, the government maintains a positive outlook. Efforts are underway to reach a comprehensive debt restructuring agreement by the end of the fiscal year to provide the economy with the necessary “breathing room.”Current data shows that the government allocated 463.4 billion Birr for domestic and foreign debt servicing this year. In the first nine months, 226.8 billion Birr was paid.

While this represents 81% of the nine-month plan, it accounts for only 48.9% of the total annual budget. This lower-than-planned performance is directly attributed to the ongoing debt restructuring negotiations, as several payments remain suspended until final agreements are signed.