To Keep Serving Coffee into the Future: How SEVEN CAFÉ Supports Coffee-Growing Regions Toward a "Brighter Sky"
Whether it’s part of your morning routine, a midday break, or the end of a long day at school or work, SEVEN CAFÉ has been a beloved choice for freshly ground and brewed coffee you can enjoy anytime.
But how often do we stop to think about where those coffee beans come from, or about the people who grow them? The story behind each cup often goes untold.
Today, the world faces a growing concern known as the “Coffee 2050 Problem”—the warning that, by 2050, climate change could drastically reduce global coffee yields.
If we simply stand by, we may reach a future where coffee can no longer be grown in the regions that currently produce it.
In response to this reality, Seven-Eleven Japan has launched a variety of initiatives to support coffee-growing regions.
Can we change the future? Here’s a look at SEVEN CAFÉ’s story of "After the Storm Comes the Calm" in the lands where our coffee begins.
What We Witnessed at the Source: Another Face of the Coffee 2050 Problem
Ishibashi from the Fast Food/Frozen Food Department at Seven-Eleven Japan’s Merchandising Division is in charge of SEVEN CAFÉ’s origin support initiatives. Not long after taking on the role, he had the opportunity to visit coffee farms in Guatemala and Jamaica—two of SEVEN CAFÉ’s sourcing regions.
Ishibashi
The most widely used coffee bean in the world is the Arabica variety. At SEVEN CAFÉ, much of our Arabica coffee is grown in high-altitude regions, over 1,000 meters above sea level, on steep slopes that can reach inclines of around 30 degrees. In those conditions, farmers harvest the beans entirely by hand. I’d heard about it before, but seeing it in person was truly eye-opening.
What also struck Ishibashi were the worn-out tools and equipment, and the children playing in the fields. In some of these regions, there are no facilities where children can be safely looked after, making the farm the only place where an adult can watch over them.
Ishibashi
The ‘Coffee 2050 Problem’ is often discussed in terms of climate change. But what I saw on the ground was something else: the struggles of the people working there. Environmental issues, yes, but also serious challenges surrounding labor conditions. Both are directly impacting coffee production.
On top of that, rising energy costs, labor expenses, and fertilizer prices are putting increasing pressure on producers. Meanwhile, demand for coffee is spreading even in countries where coffee-drinking wasn’t traditionally part of daily life. As we approach 2050, the balance between supply and demand is already beginning to shift.
Enjoying a delicious cup of coffee at an affordable price, something we take for granted today, may not be so certain in the future.
Ishibashi
There’s only so much we can do when it comes to the global environment. But maybe—just maybe—we can help create environments where people involved in coffee production feel safe and secure in their work. That hope is what sparked our origin support initiatives.
Tailor-Made Support, Designed for Each Region’s Unique Challenges
Launched in 2021, Seven-Eleven Japan’s origin support initiatives now span six countries: Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. The focus is primarily on improving working conditions and enhancing productivity.
Ishibashi
Even though we call it ‘support,’ it’s not a one-sided effort. In some regions, basic things we take for granted in Japan, like rest breaks or having access to toilets, aren’t always in place. So we work together with local producers, first by setting shared standards and then making improvements together. What we’re doing is closer to offering consultation than simply giving aid.
One example is the support provided in Jamaica, a region that produces Blue Mountain coffee. There, Seven-Eleven Japan donates coffee seedlings. Blue Mountain beans are a delicate variety of Arabica, highly susceptible to disease, which makes replanting young seedlings essential. But many farmers in Jamaica have been unable to do so due to a lack of funding, leading to delays in replanting.
Ishibashi
By providing seedlings, we can help stabilize coffee production, which in turn supports the livelihoods of the farmers. In Ethiopia and Tanzania, for example, we’re donating raised drying beds (African beds) for sun-drying coffee beans, as well as shade tree seedlings to protect the coffee plants from direct sunlight.
While the goal is always the same, which is to ensure stable productivity, the form of support differs depending on the needs and circumstances of each region.
Sometimes, these support efforts also extend to addressing environmental challenges. Colombia, once rich in water resources, has traditionally used large amounts of water in coffee processing. But in recent years, the country has faced severe water shortages, partly due to the effects of El Niño.
To help address this issue, Seven-Eleven Japan provided coffee processing equipment (wet mills) that significantly reduce water usage.
Ishibashi
The work we’re doing may not bring immediate results. Even so, we believe it’s essential to provide support that’s tailored to the unique challenges of each region, rather than simply offering money or supplies.
Each country faces its own set of difficulties. But amid those challenges, Ishibashi found brief, hopeful moments—glimpses of "brighter skies" breaking through the clouds.
Smiles at the Source Lead to Smiles for Our Customers
This moment came in Guatemala.
While the country is known for producing high-quality coffee, rural areas face a serious national issue: low adult literacy rates. One major factor behind this is the lack of schools.
With many parents working during the day, many children are unable to attend school and grow up without receiving a proper education. To help break this cycle, Seven-Eleven Japan supported the construction of a school in Guatemala and provided supplies such as stationery and learning materials.
Ishibashi
I had the chance to observe a class during a school visit. Even the mothers, who are usually busy with coffee harvesting, made time to attend that special day. The smiles on the children’s and mothers’ faces were truly radiant.
Seeing how our support had taken shape and was helping improve people’s lives, even in a small way, was an experience I’ll never forget. Nothing compares to a moment like that.
Many of these discussions with the coffee-producing regions are now done online.
Ishibashi
We mainly speak with coffee farms and local importers. Maintaining strong, direct relationships with them is essential for effective origin support, but it’s not something we can do alone.
This work is only possible thanks to our many partners, including general trading companies like MITSUI & CO., LTD. and Marubeni Corporation, and coffee roasters such as Ajinomoto AGF, Inc. and UCC UESHIMA COFFEE CO., LTD. Together, we collaborate as one team.
This spirit of teamwork is one of Seven-Eleven Japan’s core strengths. Even the creation of SEVEN CAFÉ products wouldn’t have been possible without the Team MD approach, a cross-industry collaboration involving a wide range of companies. The same holds true for origin support. It’s this collective effort that enables us to reach places no single company could on its own.
Ishibashi
At first, we were donating Blue Mountain seedlings to Jamaica. But to make our support more efficient, we now purchase seeds and grow the seedlings ourselves before donating them. This change allows us to increase the number of seedlings we provide and better meet the needs of the region.
It’s only possible because we’ve built a system that lets us stay closely in tune with what producers are asking for—as a team.
To protect the smiles of both customers and producers, Ishibashi and his team continue moving forward. Each step may be small, but together, they may be paving the way toward a more sustainable future for coffee.
SEVEN CAFÉ’s Ongoing Challenge: Connecting Two Smiles from Farm to Cup
Aiming for sustainable coffee sourcing, Seven-Eleven Japan has set a goal: by 2030, more than 50% of the beans used in SEVEN CAFÉ will come from sustainable sources.
Although they are gradually approaching this target, Ishibashi believes there is still a long way to go.
Ishibashi
Support for coffee-growing regions only holds meaning if it’s sustained over time. What we’re focusing on now is strengthening the foundation of that support by deepening our relationships with the countries we work with and enriching each initiative one by one.
His gaze extends beyond the "Coffee 2050 Problem"—toward the people at the heart of every coffee origin.
Ishibashi
When a small, remote farm visibly improves and becomes a place where anyone can see positive change, where more smiles appear among the people working there, and even the harvest increases, that may seem like a small shift on the global scale, but to me, that’s a glimpse of a "brighter sky".
Someday, I’d love for the people working at these farms to come to Japan and see the smiles of customers enjoying a cup of SEVEN CAFÉ coffee. I want them to realize, ‘Our work is bringing these smiles to life.’ That too would be a glimpse of a "brighter sky".
One cup of coffee, two connected smiles. Perhaps this is also part of Seven-Eleven Japan’s broader mission: ‘Creating smiles for tomorrow, together.’
Going forward, Seven-Eleven Japan will continue to support coffee-growing communities, serving as a bridge between two smiles, and expanding glimpses of a "brighter sky", even beneath the looming clouds of the Coffee 2050 Problem.
SEVEN CAFÉ Kilimanjaro Blend — Made with Coffee Beans Harvested in Tanzania
This text has been translated using an automatic translation tool.
