Coffee with a social impact
Since early 2025, our employees in Heerbrugg (Switzerland) and Munich (Germany) have been enjoying coffee from Coffee Annan – a move that goes far beyond pure taste. Unlike traditional suppliers, which export green beans and only roast them in Europe or North America, Coffee Annan takes a different approach: The beans are roasted and packaged directly in the countries where they are grown. This adds up to three times more value locally, benefiting local farms and families. For the SFS Group, this was a key reason for the partnership.
Taking responsibility together
From fair roast coffee from Africa to supporting a new building project in Switzerland, SFS takes its social responsibility seriously and is involved in various CSR projects. The focus is on long-term partnerships such as those with Coffee Annan and Rhyboot, which have an impact because they are based on trust, responsibility and sustainability.
“We want to take responsibility along the entire value chain and ensure that the people in coffee-producing countries receive an appropriate share of the profits.”
Coffee cooperatives support the local population
The impact is tangible: In North Kivu in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Virunga Coffee cooperative has for years been supporting thousands of families, who have opted to grow coffee despite the challenging political climate. In Uganda, Agri Evolve promotes agroforestry systems that provide stable incomes and actively contribute to climate protection. Over 130,000 trees have already been planted and more than 2,000 families now have access to energy-efficient stoves that make everyday life easier.
Indulgence in numbers
To us, coffee from Coffee Annan is more than just a beverage. It represents fair trade, the development of stable structures in regions with special development needs, and a measurable environmental impact. In 2025, this approach prevented more than 19 metric tons of CO2 emissions and provided support to around 12,000 coffee producers through agricultural training and infrastructure improvements, among other things.
“The concept of roasting at origin is great, especially because it benefits everyone along the value chain.”
Achieving great things together
While our focus is on the wider world in our collaboration with Coffee Annan, we consider social engagement in the communities surrounding our locations to be important as well. We have a long-standing partnership with Rhyboot based on trust and our shared goal of helping people with disabilities live as independently as possible. For over 50 years, Rhyboot has been helping adults in need of support by offering living and working opportunities tailored to their individual needs. However, the buildings date from the 1960s and no longer meet today’s requirements. That’s why a new building is currently under construction to create modern living and working spaces.
SFS supports new-build project
We are contributing to the project with a donation of CHF 300,000 spread over three years. In doing so, we are demonstrating our solidarity and emphasizing our role as a responsible regional company.
“Rhyboot has been doing valuable work for our region for decades. With our support, we not only want to make a contribution, but also motivate other companies to get involved as well.”
Inclusion in action
Our partnership with Rhyboot goes beyond financial support: Social Days, inclusion days, and joint projects bring our employees together with people in a protected workplace. These interactions foster understanding, break down barriers, and demonstrate the positive impact of inclusion on everyone involved.
“Thanks to partners such as SFS, we are getting much closer to our goal of providing people here with contemporary homes and a variety of workplaces.”
