From Seed to Cup: CHOICE Showcases Sustainable Coffee Production and Climate Action in Valencia
On 29 September 2026, CHOICE participated in the international event “From Seed to Cup: Innovation, Climate Action and Circular Economy in the Coffee Value Chain”, held at Sabadell Hub Empresa in Valencia, Spain.
Organised by the Finnova Foundation within the framework of the European ECOFFEE project, the event brought together companies, technology centres, European projects and institutional representatives to explore innovative solutions for transforming the coffee value chain, from sustainable agricultural production to waste valorisation and circular economy practices.
CHOICE was represented by its partners BIOAZUL, TECNiCAFÉ and SUPRACAFÉ, who shared insights from the project’s activities, with particular attention to the Colombian pilot and its work with women coffee producers in the Cauca region.
Bringing the Colombian CHOICE pilot to the spotlight
A key highlight of CHOICE’s participation was the presentation of its Colombian pilot, which focuses on empowering women coffee producers to adopt more sustainable agricultural practices while strengthening the resilience of their communities and ecosystems.
Implemented in collaboration with TECNiCAFÉ, SUPRACAFÉ and the Association of Women Coffee Growers of Cauca (AMUCC), the pilot addresses environmental and socioeconomic challenges faced by smallholder coffee producers, including climate change impacts, resource consumption, production costs and barriers to adopting sustainable technologies.
Through participatory activities and the innovative “Cinema at the Farm” (Cine a la Finca) campaigns, CHOICE has engaged women coffee producers in exploring practical solutions such as organic fertilisers, improved water management, renewable energy, shared transportation and more resource-efficient coffee production.
By combining local knowledge, behavioural insights and scientific evidence, the pilot demonstrates how sustainable farming practices can become more accessible and relevant to the everyday realities of coffee-growing communities.
Connecting climate-conscious choices with circular innovation
The event also offered an opportunity to explore synergies between CHOICE and ECOFFEE, highlighting complementary approaches to sustainability across the coffee value chain.
While CHOICE focuses on understanding and encouraging sustainable agricultural practices and climate-conscious behaviours, ECOFFEE explores circular economy solutions for spent coffee grounds, including their transformation into valuable resources such as natural biocides and animal feed ingredients.
During the event, Beatriz Rodríguez from BIOAZUL joined discussions on how bioeconomy practices can be transferred to coffee-producing regions through international cooperation and organic production.
These exchanges reinforced the importance of combining technological innovation, behavioural change and stakeholder collaboration to advance climate mitigation and resource efficiency.
Connecting Colombian coffee producers with European audiences
One of the most engaging moments of the event was a comparative coffee tasting led by Viviana Narváez from TECNiCAFÉ and Judite Moreira from SUPRACAFÉ, highlighting the work of women coffee producers from Colombia’s Cauca region.
Beyond the sensory experience, the tasting offered participants an opportunity to discover the people, production processes and local knowledge behind each cup of coffee.
By bringing the experiences of Colombian women coffee growers to a European audience, CHOICE helped connect sustainable production with informed consumption, demonstrating how local agricultural practices and global sustainability challenges are closely linked.
Strengthening collaboration for more sustainable food systems
CHOICE’s participation in the ECOFFEE event highlighted the importance of collaboration between research initiatives, industry representatives, technology providers and local communities in addressing climate challenges.
The discussions reinforced a central message of the CHOICE project: scientific knowledge and technological innovation can generate greater impact when combined with behavioural insights, inclusive participation and practical solutions adapted to local needs.
Through its Colombian pilot and other engagement initiatives, CHOICE continues to demonstrate how climate research can be translated into meaningful actions supporting more sustainable and resilient food systems.
From the coffee farms of Cauca to the discussions in Valencia, CHOICE highlights how connecting people, knowledge and innovation can help shape a more sustainable future for the coffee value chain.
