A global association

Within the 4C Association, producers, trade & industry and civil society from around the world work together for more sustainability in the entire coffee sector.

This global community has joined forces to continuously improve the social, environmental and economic conditions for the people making their living with coffee.

Main pillars of 4C are a code of conduct, rules of participation for trade and industry, support mechanisms for coffee farmers, a verification system and the participatory governance structure.



Watch our video, “Coffee with a Conscience”, to learn more about the 4C Association

Only a small percentage of the coffee sold in supermarkets and coffee shops around the world is certified to meet social and environmental standards. The large majority of the coffee we drink is produced and traded without taking into consideration the natural environment where it was produced and the living conditions of coffee farmers and workers. The 4C Association was founded to address this problem by implementing a baseline sustainability standard for the mainstream coffee market. Click on the movie below to learn how the 4C Association is working with key stakeholders in the coffee sector to achieve its goal.

Upcoming events

  • 21st ANACAFE National Coffee Congress
    Guatemala, 22 - 23 July, 2010
  • 4C Information Workshop in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
    Dak Lak Province, Vietnam, 28 July, 2010
  • 1st International Sustainability Forum organized by 4C Association in collaboration with FNC
    Pasto, Colombia, 8 September 2010
  • 4C Association at Expoespeciales Nariño 2010
    Pasto, Colombia, 9-11 September
  • 23rd International Conference on Coffee Science (ASIC)
    Bali, Indonesia, 3 – 8 October, 2010
    For more information please see the ASIC 2010 Bali website



Latest Publications
  • 4C Association reports continuous growth
    May 2010
  • Latest 4C Portrait - RWACOF
    April 2010
    Read about the Rwacof 4C Unit located in Eastern Rwanda, a land of breathtaking beauty. In this portrait, you will learn more about the Farmer Field Schools run by Rwacof, a fascinating tool developed for quality management in Rwacof's coffee supply chain as well as interesting information about the coffee sector in Rwanda.
  • Newsletter
    July 2010
  • The 4C Association holds its first Sustainability Forum in Brazil
    April 2010
  • Update Information
    May 2010
    4C Facts and Figures (July 2010)
  • List of 4C Members
    May 2010
  • Enjoy the annual report of 2009!
    May 2010
    Owing to a typo in the first print version of the 4C Annual Report 2009 in English, the table on page 23 contained misleading figures. The 4C Association regrets this error. The figures contained in the Annual Report version now online are corrected, valid figures. In case of further queries, please contact the Communications Department.