Westrock Coffee Hits 100% Ethical Sourcing Goal Amid Market Turmoil

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – February 16, 2026 – Westrock Coffee Company has officially achieved its ambitious goal of sourcing 100% of its coffee and tea from responsible sources, a milestone reached in 2025 that fulfills a public commitment made four years prior. The integrated beverage solutions provider announced that all its green coffee, tea, and soluble purchases are now verified through stringent second- or third-party programs, a significant accomplishment set against a backdrop of historic global supply chain volatility.

This achievement means that every direct supplier in Westrock Coffee's vast network, which spans 35 origin countries, is now third-party audited for compliance with the company's comprehensive Responsible Sourcing Policy. The move solidifies the company's position as a leader in ethical and sustainable practices within the global beverage industry.

"This milestone reflects years of intentional investment, collaboration and accountability across our business," said Brooke Cantrell, vice president of sustainability at Westrock Coffee Company. "Responsible sourcing is not a box we check — it is a commitment to the people, environments and communities that make our products possible. Reaching 100% responsibly sourced is an important moment for our company and our partners around the world."

Deconstructing 'Responsibly Sourced'

While 'responsibly sourced' has become a common corporate buzzword, Westrock Coffee's framework provides a detailed blueprint for its meaning. The company’s 100% verification is not based on a single certification but a multi-layered system of internal standards, external audits, and transparent tracking designed to ensure accountability from farm to final product.

At the core of this system are two proprietary programs, Real Roots™ and Raíz Sustainability™, complemented by a digital traceability platform, Farmer Direct Verified®.

• Real Roots™ serves as the foundational standard for all global coffee purchases. It establishes minimum social and environmental requirements and enforces a zero-tolerance policy for critical issues like deforestation and forced labor. Compliance is verified through second-party audits, making it an accessible entry point for farmers and suppliers to join a responsible supply chain. As of the end of 2025, all coffee sourced by the company meets this baseline standard.

• Raíz Sustainability™ is a more intensive, holistic program focused on driving long-term farm profitability, promoting sustainable agricultural practices, and ensuring fair labor conditions. Farms participating in this program undergo rigorous annual audits by accredited third-party agencies to measure progress and ensure compliance. The program has demonstrated tangible success; for example, participating farms in Latin America have reported yields 23% higher than their non-participating neighbors, showcasing a direct link between sustainability and economic viability.

• Farmer Direct Verified® underpins the entire framework with economic transparency. This digital platform tracks financial transactions throughout the supply chain, ensuring that payments to farmers are accounted for and can be linked directly to the sustainability status of their crops. This provides an unparalleled level of accountability for some of the world's largest brands that Westrock Coffee supplies.

A Triumph of Resilience in a Volatile Era

Achieving this 100% sourcing goal is made more remarkable by the period in which it was accomplished. The years between 2021 and 2025 were characterized by what one executive called a complete challenge to "nearly every assumption about supply chains." The global coffee and tea markets faced a perfect storm of disruptions, including severe weather events like frosts and droughts in Brazil, a global shipping crisis that sent logistics costs soaring, and widespread labor shortages.

"Price swings, logistics disruptions and origin-level uncertainty forced us to be both disciplined and flexible," noted Clay Parker, senior vice president of commodities at Westrock Coffee. "We're proud of the approach we built, one that upheld our standards while adapting to real market conditions."

Westrock Coffee's success was not accidental but the result of a strategy designed for resilience. The company fostered deep collaboration between its commodities, sourcing, and sustainability teams to expand its network of responsible supply partners. By intentionally diversifying its sourcing origins and building flexibility into its supply chain—with multiple backup pathways across its Real Roots™, Raíz™, and other certified programs—the company could navigate market shocks without compromising its ethical commitments.

The Human and Environmental Impact at Origin

The impact of this commitment extends far beyond corporate boardrooms and into the rural communities where coffee and tea are grown. Westrock Coffee's model is explicitly designed to create what its Chief Operating Officer, Will Ford, calls "meaningful economic opportunity at origin." This is not merely a byproduct of business but a central pillar of the company's mission.

Nowhere is this more evident than in Rwanda, where Westrock has been active since 2009. The company's Agribusiness Training Program there educated over 54,000 farmers between 2013 and 2020, leading to significant growth in farm yields and revenues. This long-term engagement built trust and paved the way for further support, including the distribution of millions of tree seedlings to promote biodiversity and climate resilience.

These initiatives are governed by the company's Responsible Sourcing Policy, which strictly prohibits child and forced labor while mandating fair wages and safe working conditions. By linking farmer prosperity directly to its supply chain, Westrock Coffee aims to create a virtuous cycle.

"By building resilient, responsibly sourced supply chains, we're strengthening long-term value for our customers and supporting smallholder farmers and their families in developing countries," said Will Ford.

Setting a New Industry Benchmark?

With its 100% verified claim, Westrock Coffee is setting a high bar for the wider beverage industry. While many major coffee and tea companies have established sustainability goals, few have announced such a comprehensive, fully audited achievement across their entire supply chain. This move comes at a critical time, as the industry faces mounting pressure from both consumers and regulators.

For instance, the European Union's impending Deforestation Regulation will soon require companies to provide plot-level traceability for all coffee imports, a mandate that will challenge businesses without robust tracking systems. Westrock's established Farmer Direct Verified® platform and its emphasis on origin transparency position it well ahead of this regulatory curve, transforming a potential compliance headache into a competitive advantage.

This achievement is likely to increase pressure on competitors and elevate consumer expectations, potentially shifting the market standard from vague sustainability claims to demands for verifiable, transparent, and impactful sourcing. By integrating ethical practices so deeply into its operational and business strategy, Westrock Coffee is demonstrating that sustainability is not just a corporate responsibility initiative, but a powerful engine for building a more resilient, profitable, and equitable business for the future.