Taylor's of Harrogate boss issues warning over climate change and its effect on tea and coffee supplies

The reliance on suppliers from often remote locations around the globe has placed growing pressures on tea and coffee producers, who are battling to prevent the effects of global warming impinging on the quality of their products.

Taylors of Harrogate has launched a series of long-term projects to help minimise its impact on the environment, while also ensuring that its suppliers worldwide can become increasingly sustainable.

However, the company’s supply director, Keith Writer, told The Yorkshire Post concerns still remained about the long-term future of the industry.

He said: “In many ways it is the perfect storm the coffee and tea industries are facing, as climate change is affecting the countries which are key to our product ranges. You cannot guarantee the breadth and choice of coffee we have at the moment will be here for generations to come.

“It is becoming more and more of a challenge to make sure we can continue to have sustainable supply chains and there needs to be a long-term strategy to ensure that we do.”

Senior representatives from Taylors travelled to Glasgow last month to give delegates at the Cop26 climate summit an insight into the work that has been conducted in nations such as Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and India.

The independent tea and coffee business, established in 1886, was given a United Nations Global Climate Action Award for its work to curb carbon dioxide emissions and ensure its suppliers have a more sustainable model of farming.

Among the initiatives undertaken by the company has been a tree-planting partnership, working with smallholder farmers in its tea supply chain in Kenya through the International Small Group and Tree Planting Programme.

Smallholders earn carbon pre-payments from trees which they plant and the scheme guarantees the farmers receive 70 per cent of any profits from the sale of carbon credits on the open market.

To date, the partnership has seen two million trees planted, working with 7,500 farmers.

Taylors of Harrogate is also supporting projects to distribute fuel-efficient cookstoves to farmers in Malawi, which use less fuel and reduce indoor air pollution.

But Mr Writer, a member of the World Coffee Research Board, admitted that more needed to be done to help stave off the impact of climate change.

Coffee was particularly susceptible to changes in the environment, as it has a narrow band of genetic diversity.

Mr Writer added: “Sustainability is not discretionary. It needs to be integrated into business models now. I remain stubbornly optimistic about the future of coffee and tea but it requires even more collective action now.”