The coffee sector has long been a pioneer in sustainability. Over the past two decades, initiatives have multiplied to improve farmer livelihoods, protect ecosystems, and respond to climate change. Yet, until recently, one area lacked a shared definition: regenerative agriculture. What does it mean in practice for coffee? How do we measure it? And how can farmers, traders, roasters, and consumers be sure that regenerative claims are credible rather than greenwashing?
In September 2025, the Global Coffee Platform (GCP) released the first RegenCoffee Guidance — a global framework that provides clarity, common principles, and measurable outcomes for regenerative coffee production. Backed by major industry players such as Illycaffè, JDE Peet’s, and Nestlé, this document represents a significant milestone: the beginning of a common language for regenerative agriculture in coffee.
At Farmforce, we see this as a turning point — not only for sustainability in coffee but also for how technology, data, and farmer-centric tools can help bring regenerative ambitions to life.
What is RegenCoffee?
The RegenCoffee Guidance defines regenerative coffee as a holistic, outcome-focused approach to farming that restores natural resources and builds resilience for both ecosystems and farmers. It goes beyond “doing no harm” to actively regenerating soil, biodiversity, and water, while improving farmer livelihoods.
The framework focuses on four core impact areas:
Soil
- Principle: Maintain, restore, and build soil health to support productivity and ecological functions.
- Outcomes: Higher soil organic carbon, improved fertility, reduced erosion, increased capacity for carbon sequestration.
- Why it matters: Healthy soils mean resilient coffee trees, better yields, and a powerful contribution to climate mitigation.
Biodiversity
- Principle: Enhance ecosystems and ensure the long-term health of diverse species.
- Outcomes: More natural habitat on farms, crop diversity, reduced pesticide risk.
- Why it matters: Coffee landscapes often overlap with biodiversity hotspots. Farming practices can either destroy or regenerate these ecosystems.
Water
- Principle: Manage water efficiently and sustainably, protecting water-related ecosystems.
- Outcomes: Improved water use efficiency, cleaner wastewater, reduced nutrient runoff.
- Why it matters: Coffee has a significant water footprint. Better management can reduce risks for communities and ecosystems, while also saving costs for farmers.
Resilient Farmer Livelihoods
- Principle: Strengthen farmers’ ability to withstand shocks, adapt to climate change, and secure stable incomes.
- Outcomes: Improved yields, diversified income sources, reduced living income gap, access to finance and services.
- Why it matters: Without resilient farmers, there is no coffee sector. Regenerative outcomes must translate into tangible benefits for farming families.
Why does this matter now?
The RegenCoffee Guidance arrives at a moment of urgency:
- Climate pressure: Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, pests, and diseases are already shrinking suitable coffee lands. Without adaptation, millions of farmers face declining yields and incomes.
- Greenwashing risk: The widespread adoption of “regenerative” as a buzzword has led to vague claims due to the lack of clear definitions. A common framework is critical for credibility.
- Regulatory pressure: Governments, especially in Europe, are pushing for stricter environmental and social due diligence. Clear indicators help companies prepare for upcoming rules.
- Investor and consumer demand: Both groups increasingly expect transparent reporting on sustainability outcomes, not just inputs or intentions.
By providing shared principles, outcomes, and key performance indicators (KPIs), GCP’s framework aims to align the sector around measurable progress. It creates a foundation for collective action, reducing fragmentation and accelerating the shift toward regenerative systems.
How will RegenCoffee be implemented?
The RegenCoffee Guidance is only Phase 1 of a longer journey. GCP envisions a stepwise rollout:
- Phase 1 (2025): Establish a global common language (this guidance).
- Phase 2 (2026): Integrate RegenCoffee outcomes into the Coffee Sustainability Reference Code (the sector’s baseline standard).
- Phase 3 (2026–27): Contextualize at national and origin levels, adapting to local farming systems.
- Phase 4 (2027+): Pilot and scale through GCP’s Collective Action Plans.
For coffee companies, this means RegenCoffee will quickly move from a conceptual framework to a practical requirement. Those who can measure, monitor, and demonstrate regenerative outcomes will be ahead of the curve.
The data challenge: from practices to outcomes
One of the most important contributions of the RegenCoffee Guidance is its two-pronged monitoring approach:
- Outcome indicators: long-term, technical measures such as soil organic carbon, water quality, biodiversity presence, or farmer income. These are robust but costly and slow to change.
- Practice-based indicators: farmer-level practices that are easier to track, such as % of land under cover crops, use of wastewater treatment, or adoption of agroforestry. These serve as “leading indicators” of change.
This mix recognizes the reality: while robust science is needed for credibility, farmers and companies also need practical, cost-effective ways to track progress.
Where Farmforce fits in
At Farmforce, we work at the first mile of agri-supply chains — where coffee is planted, harvested, and first traded. This is exactly where RegenCoffee outcomes must be captured.
Our platform already enables companies to:
- Map farms and fields: capturing polygons, land use, and proximity to water or forested areas.
- Register farmers and households: building profiles that connect practices with livelihoods.
- Track farm practices: from agroforestry and intercropping to fertilizer use and integrated pest management.
- Monitor compliance: with regulations like the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which can now be paired with regenerative KPIs.
- Integrate external tools, such as deforestation monitoring, biodiversity mapping, or carbon calculators.
By aligning Farmforce data collection with RegenCoffee KPIs, we can help the sector move from ambition to evidence — showing not only that practices are adopted, but that they contribute to measurable outcomes.
Looking ahead
The RegenCoffee Guidance is not an endpoint; it is a starting line. The real work begins now: testing, contextualizing, and scaling regenerative practices across diverse origins and farm systems.
For companies sourcing coffee, the message is clear:
- RegenCoffee will shape the next generation of sustainability frameworks.
- Investors and regulators will expect credible, outcome-linked reporting.
- Farmers will need support — technical, financial, and digital — to make the transition.
For Farmforce, this is a call to action. Our role is to ensure that the data backbone of regenerative coffee is strong, reliable, and farmer-centric. We believe that by combining robust technology with local context, we can turn RegenCoffee from a vision into a measurable reality.
Regenerative agriculture is no longer just a concept; it is fast becoming the organizing principle for the future of coffee sustainability. With the launch of the RegenCoffee Guidance, the sector now has a common language, shared outcomes, and clear indicators.
The challenge ahead is implementation — and it starts with data. Without trusted, farmer-level information, regenerative claims risk remaining aspirational. With it, the coffee sector can demonstrate real progress, safeguard farmer livelihoods, and ensure that coffee landscapes continue to thrive for generations to come.
At Farmforce, we are ready to play our part.
