...[W]ith regard to the article "Bitter brew: Modern slavery in the coffee industry", illycaffè confirms what it already stated in 2018, when Adere MG and Conectas published this information for the first time and sent to OECD National Contact Point the complaint for the supposed violation of the OECD Guidelines. OECD, after receiving all our documentation, decided to terminate the Specific Instance clearing illycaffè from complaints, as you can see in the attached document.

Improving living conditions and defending the rights of rural workers is a central part of illycaffè work all over the world. According to this core value, illycaffè confirm that it sources coffee from Cooxupè but it does not source any coffee from any producer on the blacklist (Lista Suja). We act firmly for good practices throughout the production chain, including encouraging and implementing sustainability practices with our partners, and we are against any exploration practice.

With reference to the link with Fazenda Floresta, illycaffè confirms that it is no longer a supplier of illy since, in 2021, we have been informed that he was accused of labor exploitation. illycaffè does not source from any farm that allegedly experienced human rights violations, including slavery. The company always demands from its supplier the compliance with sustainability rules and standards in the social, economic and environmental sphere, which includes respect for labor legislation at each property.

As a company, we invest heavily both through our technicians and by activating collaborations with local bodies and institutions to make the coffee supply chain fairer and more sustainable. For this reason, the practices described in your article do not belong to our business model based on the value creation for all our stakeholders.