Tag Archives: Ecoffee

ECOFFEE approved by Green Maven

It is with a great pleasure that we announce that our ECOFFEE project for responsible business has been officially approved by GreenMaven, the Green Search Engine.



GreenMaven.com, the world’s largest Green Search Engine, was launched in 2006 by Joey Shepp, a green maven and founder of Earthsite, new media for sustainable brands.


GreenMaven.com currently searches over 1 million pages.  Everything searchable by Green Maven has been approved by Green Maven editors using Green Maven Approval Policy.


The guiding principles on which the editors base their decisions are the following:


1. Green Values – The site must demonstrate green values clearly on the homepage. GreenMaven.com does not necessarily determine whether a business, organization or individual is Green, rather its editors consider how the website addresses green issues, ideas or principles. Green Maven editors take special care to select websites that resonate with green consumers.


2. Quality – The site must be complete, fully functioning, and demonstrate an acceptable level of quality according to today’s web standards. No offensive material is permitted, including obscenity or nudity.


3. Green certifications – Third-party validation, such as Co-op America green business certification, are considered and can boost a site’s chances of inclusion.


The approval by Green Maven is a great result for ECOFFEE, just the first step towards a brighter future for sustainability in the Retail business. Thanks to all of you for your support and help!

Where Fast Food mobile Apps fail, ECOFFEE mobile experience is set to win

A couple of days ago Appolicious published an interesting article about the increasing number of mobile Apps for fast food restaurants and their being mostly not useful. Many are the apps listed, from Taco Bell to McDonald’s.

All these chains offers accurate information on the internet but extremely bare bones restaurant locator apps. In McDonalds’ defense, at least their app offers information on getting a career with McD’s, along with some nutritional information.  Burger King’s lack of an app caught everybody by surprise because they have been so good with marketing their products through games via the Xbox 360 for years that you expected something that appealing on the apps side too.

Useful functionalities and entertainment are a must for nowadays apps, especially in a field – the one of Ho.Re.Ca – where interaction and service have always been a key factor to achieve a high customer satisfaction. Add that customers now are spoiled with information: they love to get informed about the brand and the goods they are going to purchase, about the environment where they are sitting, about the other customers comments and opinions about the “experience” they are going to go through.

We discussed this subject with our partners, a team of skilled UX designers, in order to create a useful, entertaining and carefully designed iPhone/iPad app for DESITA’s Retail and Ho.Re.Ca customers, delivering not only a great user experience but also the  sustainability and responsibility messages which are ECOFFEE’s own. Brainstorming led to the first draft of what is set to become the ECOFFEE mobile experience, the perfect blend among social marketing, in-store advertising and a great user experience to create a stronger bond among the brand, the consumer and the brand’ sustainability and responsibility strategies. Please inquire us directly for further information silvia@ecoffee.it

ECOFFEE at the next goGreen for packaging conference

We are happy to inform you that ECOFFEE is one of the partners of the next goGreen for packaging conference, that is going to take place in Rome next June 28th and wants to act as a catalyst for all those market players who believe sustainability is the future.
In a 20 minutes speech, ECOFFEE founder, Norman Cescut, will talk about the role of sustainability in the Retail business and why it is necessary for Retail to become greener.
Please contact us directly at info@ecoffee.it  for further information about the speech and for scheduling a meeting.

An agreement to boost Lebanon HoReCa business

Among the exhibitions and trade shows we attended to during these first months of 2011, Beirut’s HORECA 2011 was the most surprising.

Despite the turmoil hitting the region, HORECA 2011 welcomed its many visitors – almost 6,000 a day – with a great number of exhibitors and many interesting meetings.  But what is more important for the whole Ho.Re.Ca regional business, was the signing of an agreement that will certainly boost the turnover in the Lebenon region: the Beirut Capital of Taste Charter. 

In doing so, Mr. Fady Abboud, Minister of Tourism, Mr. Mouhamad Choucair, President of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, Mr. Nehmat Frem, President of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists, Mr. Pierre Ashkar, President of the Federation for Tourism Association and President of Lebanese Hotel Association, Mr. Paul Ariss, President of the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Night Clubs and Pastries, Mr. Georges Nassrawi, President of the Syndicate of Lebanese Food Industries, Mr. Nouhad Dammous, President of ADFTH, and Mrs. Joumana Salame, Managing Director of Hospitality Services, all united to put Beirut on the map as a world leader with its international standards in terms of innovation, inspiration, know-how and conviviality.

“We are very thrilled to have this charter finally signed”, said Mrs. Joumana Salame, Managing Director of Hospitality Services. “We have been working on this plan for the past 3 years, and we strongly believe that Lebanon will be up to the title it has been awarded”

By bringing together European and Middle Eastern countries and strengthening Lebanon’s international bonds, Horeca serves not only as an economic boost adding to the development of the country, but also as a tourism attraction, by enticing hundreds of thousands of visitors yearly.

DESITA, showfood and ECOFFEE are among the companies who have already benefited from the Beirut Capital of Taste Charter, with great projects done and to come and the foreseen participation at HORECA 2012, where we will present the best Italian shop concept design, the best catering equipment products and the most innovative practices to bring sustainability in the Ho.Re.Ca. & Hospitality sectors, food Retail and Franchising. (Picture Credit: Hospitalitynewsmagazine)

Sustainable Coffee: what is it and is it really profitable?

Sustainability in the Retail & Ho.Re.Ca Business, what our ECOFFEE project is about, is based on a main concept: communication to consumers and customers must be clear and simple to make them better understand what are the added values of buying/consuming sustainable products.

For instance, let’s talk about Fairtrade, organic, Rain Forest Alliance or UTZ certified coffee. These are some of the labels with which coffee is traded nowadays and consumers can be quite confused by this abundance of sometimes not well explained terms. 

Among the many information source we always refer to when asked “What is sustainable coffee about?” we found that the Imbibe magazine one is the most consumer-friendly one, covering all main aspects of sustainability in the coffee business.

The other well known issue to our blog readers is “Is it really worth investing in sustainable coffee?”. Commodity traders know the answer, and this is “Yes, of course”. A recent publication by Intracen organization (International Trade Center), shows that “Demand for conventional (i.e. non-certified) coffee is largely stagnant in these markets, whilst it is thriving in emerging markets. Certified coffee, however, is showing strong growth and higher retail prices, particularly in mature markets. This trend is also followed by other commodities, including tea, cocoa and cotton. A new industry of inspectors and technicians has emerged to service the sustainability segment of the market”. 

Sustainability and retail: a big Italian player point of view

Two days ago a couple of ECOFFEE‘s team members attended an interesting meeting regarding the Retail landscape in Italy, with a special focus on the sunglasses and eyeglasses sector. When the “Any question?” moment arrived, we asked to the speaker “What about sustainability in the Retail business?”. The answer was a HUGE “?”, followed by a: “Maybe in 2015”.

This answer made us smile, because it was the usual answer of those professionals in the Retail field who pretend that a trend does not exist until the trend has changed into an issue to be solved. 

No more than two weeks ago, Andrea Illy, Chairman and CEO of illycaffè S.p.A,  expressed his point of view about sustainability in a very interesting post published by Fastcompany. Here’s a couple of key sentences. “I’m taking about a broader notion of sustainability that includes social and economic equity right alongside environmental responsibility, serving a triple bottom line. (….) The key is acting early–acting now–before the confidence of consumers, investors and other stakeholders is irreparably damaged. The best rescue of sustainability’s meaning and power is one that is never made….Consequently, a genuinely holistic approach to sustainability is required: one that creates value throughout the entire supply chain. And in order to do that we must focus on raising quality. (…) By perpetually seeking higher quality, a cycle goes into motion, creating sustainable value for every player. The result is long-term viability in lockstep with ever-increasing quality in the cup.(…) Broader adoption and smart marketing of a powerful certification symbol (….) will create widespread understanding of what sustainable agriculture means, and place the power to demand genuinely responsible production squarely where it belongs: in the consumer’s hands.” We obviously share Andrea Illy’s point of view, and we wish that knowing his opinion about sustainability, all the skeptical retail professional will make up their minds. 



ECOFFEE’s green guerrilla: here’s the proof!!

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Well, there is not so much to add to this great video showing the backstage of our ECOFFEE green guerrilla action during last SIGEP. Spread the video, spread sustainability!

When Guerrilla marketing goes green

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As we previously anticipated, the SIGEP event participants have been “bombarded” by ECOFFEE’s green guerrilla marketing actions. The events premises and central locations in downtown Riccione and Rimini have been decorated with ecofriendly graffiti by  Greengraffiti®.
ECOFFEE has chosen GreenGraffiti® because of its being a completely carbon neutral outdoor advertising media. With the help of a template and a high pressure water sprayer an advertising message is cleaned out of the dirt. The result is a high impact message and a cleaner street.  But ECOFFEE’s green guerrilla is not only sustainable: for each liter of water used to produce an expression, the GreenAdsBlue foundation invest in water harvesting projects and provide one liter of clean drinking water in regions where water is scarce.

The green “spraying” of the ECOFFEE logo, payoff and web address has raised great attention in all the passing by event participants – all curious about what was going on and what ECOFFEE was about and all praising its being sustainable and socially responsible.

Interested in meeting us? Here is our agenda for the next three months!

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The next few months are among the busiest ones for those who work in the Retail Food sector. The followings are the most important event to which we will attend – just in case you are interested in meeting us personally!

Jan. 21-21 Greencity , Paris. International Business Convention

Jan.22nd – 26th , Rimini (IT) 32nd SIGEP, International Exhibition Artisan Production of Gelato, Pastry, Confectionary and Bakery  

Feb. 19th -22nd Sapore– Tasting Experience, Rimini (IT) it represents the entire beverage, food and seafod market for the Ho.Re.Ca. channel (a sector that has exceeded 70 billion euros and has further growth prospects)

Get ready to go “wow” watching ECOFFEE’s guerrilla marketing actions that will take place during Sigep! Stay tuned or participate to this important event!

Feb. 26th-March 2nd Euroshop Düsseldorf (DE). The global retail trade Fair

Feb. 27th– March 2nd Gulfood  Dubai. Gulfood is one of the most important food, drink & hospitality markets worldwide

March 14th-16h FME – Franchising Middle East, Dubai. Franchising Middle East Exhibition is the largest International Franchise Show in the MENA Region.

March 29th– April 1st– Horeca , Biel (Lebanon). The international Tradeshow for the Hospitality and Foodservice Industry

Greencity International Convention welcomes ECOFFEE

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DESITA and ECOFFEE have been invited to participate tgreencity_international_conventiono the Greencity International Convention, taking place at Cluster Grenelle (Paris) which aims at becoming a global reference centre for all activities concerning planning, building and managing the new sustainable city. Sustainable Architecture, Urban Quality Management, Renewable energy, New Technologies to create a new sustainable concept of living, working and entertaining in the city.