In his presentation from Bar Convent Berlin, Michael Jacob, Drink Sector Manager at Board Bia, discusses how consumers are driving brands toward a sustainability agenda. 61% of consumers say it will be more important to buy sustainably-produced products within the next three years. These consumers want to make sustainable choices and they are looking to brands to help with that. Jacob reveals how brands can achieve sustainability goals and fill the needs of their consumers.
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Giffard Liqueurs has been a family-owned business for five generations and Emilie Giffard, Sales & Brand Development Manager, feels their sustainability strategy is key to ensuring their success for generations yet to come. In Giffard’s presentation at Bar Convent Berlin, she discussed the importance of working with suppliers and stakeholders to ensure a sustainable supply chain from field to bottle. Giffard emphasizes the importance of thinking long-term, collaborating closely, and utilizing new innovations to promote sustainability.
Trinidad & Tobago was once responsible for 20% of global cocoa production, but its share of the world’s cocoa supply has been on a steep decline for the past two centuries. In her presentation from Bar Convent Berlin, Vitra Deonarine, Marketing Manager at Angostura Bitters, shares how Angostura has taken an initiative in sustainable cocoa production since the introduction of Angostura Cocoa Bitters. Angostura partnered with Ubergreen Organics to establish organic cocoa nurseries and clonal gardens in Trinidad & Tobago, support local farmers, and more.
How Consumers Are Driving The Sustainability Agenda
Michael Jacob (00:09)
My name is Michael Jacob, Drinks Sector Manager for Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board. We are a semi-state agency tasked with promoting Irish food and drink products globally.Today I will cover three core areas:
- The Acceleration of the Sustainability Agenda: Key findings from our 2021 global market research study examining customer and consumer priorities.
- Origin Green: Ireland’s world-first national food and drink sustainability program, which now represents over 90% of Irish food and drink exports.
- Industry Action: Concrete steps Irish drinks companies are taking to meet the sustainability needs of international trade buyers and consumers.
Michael Jacob (01:30)
Our 2021 global research study—comprising over 60 in-depth interviews with global customers and NGOs, input from 189 food and beverage trade buyers, and over 11,000 consumer survey responses—demonstrates that the sustainability agenda is accelerating rapidly. Globally, 75% of consumers made an active effort to purchase more sustainably conscious food and drink over the preceding 12 months, and 61% state it will become even more important over the next three years.Examining key export markets like the US and Poland, consumers consistently prioritize quality assurance, sustainable packaging (reducing single-use plastics and heavy glass), water management, and natural product stories that communicate authentic provenance.
Michael Jacob (04:00)
Among international alcohol trade buyers, 51% state that sustainability is now an integral part of their core business model rather than a secondary corporate social responsibility (CSR) goal. Furthermore, 63% recognize that end consumers actively demand sustainable options. Trade buyers view strong sustainability credentials as a primary way to differentiate their own retail and hospitality businesses. When meeting with buyers, having verified sustainability credentials is an expected baseline requirement.When ranking supplier selection criteria, trade buyers place sustainability in a strong third place—right behind quality and price—outranking traditional metrics like basic food safety or supply chain transparency. Across the European Union, 72% of buyers place high importance on a supplier’s sustainability credentials. However, a significant market opportunity exists: only 4 in 10 buyers feel that the majority of their current suppliers adequately meet their internal sustainability standards.
Michael Jacob (06:32)
Launched 10 years ago by Bord Bia, Origin Green is the world’s first national food and drink sustainability program. It provides client companies with third-party verified data and independent auditing conducted by Mabbett, a world-leading environmental consultancy. This independent auditing reassures trade buyers that corporate sustainability targets are rigorously audited rather than self-declared.Origin Green tracks industry KPIs, provides best-practice guidance, and helps both established producers and new market entrants establish multi-year sustainability roadmaps tailored to market insights.
Michael Jacob (08:18)
To join Origin Green, companies commit to a multi-year sustainability plan containing four to eight specific targets independently audited annually. These targets focus on three main operational categories:
- Raw Material Sourcing: Sourcing sustainable grain, liquid, and glass.
- Manufacturing: Reducing direct energy and water footprint during distillation and production.
- Social & Community: Driving rural development and urban regeneration.
For example, Dublin’s Stillgarden Distillery established a community garden at the front of their facility where locals tend crops and grow botanicals used directly in their Social Gin. Other client companies focus on eliminating plastic from gifting sets, sourcing certified sustainable grain, and diverting spent grains to local farms for agricultural feed.
Michael Jacob (11:12)
To summarize the key takeaways:
- Accelerating Demand: Sustainability credentials are essential for both end consumers and trade buyers.
- Core Consumer Priorities: Focus on quality assurance, low-additive natural formulations, and eco-friendly packaging.
- The Competitive Advantage: Because a gap remains between trade buyer expectations and current market supply, companies that communicate clear, audited sustainability messaging hold a distinct competitive edge when negotiating global distribution.
Thank you very much!
How Giffard Collaborates to Create a Sustainable Model
Emilie Giffard (00:09)
Good afternoon, everyone. I am Emilie Giffard, part of the fifth generation of our family business, Giffard. Since 1885, our company has crafted liqueurs, syrups, and Menthe-Pastille. Today, my focus is on brand strategy and innovative projects for the company. When discussing sustainable development, the United Nations provides a comprehensive definition: “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This definition deeply resonates with us as a family business. Since my great-grandfather Émile, a pharmacist, distilled his first mint liqueur in 1885, sustainability and human values have been at the heart of our business model to ensure the company’s longevity across generations. Sustainability is not just a brand requirement—it is a core necessity for the entire company, requiring close collaboration across all stakeholder groups, including employees, local communities, suppliers, retailers, and logistics partners.
Emilie Giffard (03:04)
At Giffard, we aim to grow with a positive impact on both people and the planet across four core strategic pillars:
- Economic & Financial Independence: Remaining a 100% family-owned, financially independent company that invests with a long-term vision.
- Environmental Protection: Designing eco-built products and facilities. Last year, we lightweighted all our syrup bottles to reduce energy consumption in manufacturing and transport. Years ago, we built an eco-friendly syrup factory featuring water reduction systems, rooftop solar panels, and energy-efficient lighting, while actively pursuing carbon footprint reduction goals.
- Sustainable Agriculture: Sourcing raw materials responsibly. Because our products rely on plants and fruits, we build long-term relationships and multi-year agreements with farmers. As a French company, 65% of our raw ingredients are sourced directly from France.
- People & Community: Empowering our employees, trade partners, distributors, and local communities through social initiatives and charitable work.
Emilie Giffard (05:54)
The key ingredient in the Giffard recipe is time. Sustainable development requires time, just as extracting flavor for our liqueurs requires patience—whether a single day or three months depending on the fruit.A prime example of this long-term approach is our “From Field to Bottle” initiative, launched in 2007 by my father, Bruno, and my aunt, Édith. Menthe-Pastille was originally created in 1885 using a specific mint variety called Mitcham mint. Although Angers is famous for aromatic and medicinal plants, Mitcham mint was not historically grown locally. They set out to acclimate this specific mint variety directly in our home region of Angers.
Emilie Giffard (07:42)
Beginning in 2007, Giffard partnered with a local research institute to conduct four years of agricultural trials, learning how to cultivate Mitcham mint in the local climate. The first successful micro-crop harvest occurred in 2011, producing a test distillation that met the quality standards for Menthe-Pastille.Following that success, we partnered with local farmers to conduct full-scale field trials over three years. In July 2013, we achieved our first successful commercial harvest. Today, we collaborate with multiple regional farmers to grow local Mitcham mint for Menthe-Pastille. Even now, as Europe faces severe droughts and climate challenges, we continue working with researchers and farmers to optimize water management in the fields.
Emilie Giffard (09:40)
Two factors were critical to the success of this agricultural project:
- Close Collaboration: Learning mutually alongside farmers and research institutes.
- Management Vision: Maintaining long-term leadership commitment over many years to see the project through to fruition.
Emilie Giffard (10:19)
To conclude, here are four core recommendations for implementing a sustainable business strategy:
- Think Long-Term: Build initiatives designed for future generations rather than quick fixes.
- Collaborate Closely: Work side-by-side with your partners and stakeholders, because you go further together.
- Stay Informed & Agile: Monitor technological innovations, join corporate social responsibility (CSR) discussion groups, and engage with the broader ecosystem. Sometimes it is better to wait a year or two for the right technology to mature before implementation.
- Trust the Future: Approach sustainable transformation with optimism and confidence. Thank you!
A Look at Angostura’s Sustainable Cocoa Program
Vitra Deonarine (00:11)
I am the Marketing Manager for the world-famous House of Angostura, based in Trinidad and Tobago, where I was born and raised. Trinidad and Tobago is a twin-island republic at the southernmost end of the Caribbean, very close to Venezuela—a proximity that is vital to Angostura’s history. Beyond our beautiful beaches, we have a diverse culture expressed through food, music, art, and traditions like Carnival. I started with Angostura 20 years ago on the bottling line after completing my BSc and MSc in marketing. I joined a graduate program at the company and never looked back, working in various roles before managing marketing for our flagship brand, Angostura Bitters. Like any good Trini, I have Angostura in my blood, as we produce both world-class bitters and rum.
Vitra Deonarine (01:40)
Angostura’s history began not in Trinidad, but in the port town of Angostura, Venezuela (now Ciudad Bolívar). There, Dr. Johann Siegert, a surgeon in Simón Bolívar’s revolutionary army, first developed a herbal combination in 1824 as a medicinal tincture to cure stomach ailments for troops. Visiting doctors prescribed it to crews for seasickness, giving rise to the Pink Gin cocktail. In the 1870s, due to civil unrest in Venezuela, the Siegert family fled to Trinidad, where Angostura bitters have been made ever since. For 200 years, bartenders globally have used Angostura bitters as a “dash of seasoning” to balance and enhance cocktails. In Trinidad and across the Caribbean, it is also widely used in everyday cuisine—from marinating meat and seafood to flavoring ice cream and juice.
Vitra Deonarine (03:03)
Because Angostura is an iconic brand, we are naturally protective of it and very careful with innovation. It was over 180 years before another flavor—Angostura Orange Bitters—was added to the lineup in 2007. Thirteen years later, in 2020, we launched our latest innovation: Angostura Cocoa Bitters. This release uses nibs from indigenous Trinitario cocoa, giving the bitters top notes of floral, nutty cocoa alongside an infusion of aromatic botanicals. This adds layers of depth to cocktails like the classic Espresso Martini. Celebrating our provenance and commitment to sustainable agriculture, the launch brought great pride to Trinidad and Tobago and its global diaspora.
Vitra Deonarine (04:49)
Trinitario cocoa is globally revered as the world’s finest hybrid cocoa. Indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago, it was born out of cross-fertilization between the Criollo and Forastero varietals after a 1727 hurricane destroyed local plantations. Trinitario combines the rich aromatics of Criollo with the robust cocoa flavor and hardiness of Forastero. Trinidad and Tobago is designated by the International Cocoa Organization as a 100% fine cocoa producer—a status held for decades. During the golden era of cocoa production in the 1830s, Trinidad and Tobago was responsible for 20% of global cocoa production and ranked among the top three producers worldwide. However, the Great Depression, West African overproduction, disease, and the rise of the oil and sugar industries caused production to collapse. By 1940, Trinidad produced only 1.6% of the world’s cocoa supply—a decline that continues to threaten local farming viability.
Vitra Deonarine (07:31)
Today, low plant yields, climate change, disease risk, and labor-intensive processes threaten the financial viability of small cocoa farms in Trinidad. Cocoa farming has also become unattractive to younger generations, posing a critical threat to the industry’s survival. High production costs mean local farming is only profitable when targeting the high-end, single-origin, organic market sought after by top chocolatiers. While the launch of Angostura Cocoa Bitters created steady local demand, we recognized that creating demand was not enough—we had to address supply-side structural issues. Without intervening directly to support farmers and preserve Trinitario cocoa cultivation, the local industry faced extinction.
Vitra Deonarine (10:26)
To address these supply challenges and scale a limited agricultural resource sustainably, we launched the Angostura Cocoa Bitters Sustainable Future Program. This initiative focuses on farmer education, empowerment, and protecting Trinitario cocoa on the world stage. Through a partnership with Uber Green Organics Limited, the program is establishing three organic cocoa nurseries and clonal gardens. These nurseries provide local farmers with over 1,000 disease-resistant, high-yielding plants every month, significantly increasing farmer income while reducing crop risk. The partner team also delivers hands-on training directly on-site covering nursery management, organic certification, new farming technologies, and advanced grafting techniques developed in collaboration with the UWI Cocoa Research Centre.
Vitra Deonarine (14:14)
The second component of the initiative is a documentary titled The Story Behind Trinitario Cocoa. The film examines the impacts of climate change on local harvest schedules, highlights the risks to the industry, and showcases opportunities for the younger generation beyond traditional farming. The short documentary aims to inspire young Trinbagonians to preserve our agricultural heritage, motivate farmers to join the organic fine cocoa cluster, increase global consumer awareness, and attract international investment. Through this program, Angostura aims to build long-term value for Trinidad and Tobago’s cocoa industry in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals—ensuring a sustainable future for organic cocoa farmers for generations to come. Thank you!
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