Key elements of the EurepGAP Coffee Reference Code


The EurepGAP Coffee Reference Code was developed over a period of several years. The Utz Kapeh Foundation spent several years working with the original EurepGAP base code, refining and improving the key elements related to coffee. In January 2003, EurepGAP and Utz Kapeh started a comprehensive revision of that code to create the current EurepGAP Coffee Reference Code. In June, consultation was held with

• Coffee producers, certifying bodies and agronomists in the Utz Kahpeh network
• EurepGAP members
• Experts from the coffee industry and NGOs

The EurepGAP Coffee Reference Code follows the recognizable format of other EurepGAP codes, covering the critical areas from record keeping and pesticide management, through worker health and safety and environmental and social issues. Particular emphasis has been placed on developing meaningful, implementable guidelines that work for both large estates and smaller farms. As they are essentially identical, the Utz Kapeh code is the first code to be benchmarked against the EurepGAP reference code.