November 2, 2017 – Sucafina has reached a milestone this month, celebrating 40 years of history. Four decades on, the company has grown from the dream of its founder – Abdallah W. Tamari – to a company with over 850 employees in 23 countries.
A commemorative gala dinner and dance was held in Beirut, Lebanon, on October 28 to mark the occasion, bringing together employees from around the world in one place. It was the perfect opportunity to thank them for their hard work and commitment to Sucafina which are the foundation of its success. Also present were Sucafina's board members and key financial partners. This anniversary was not only a moment to celebrate the Company's past, but also a chance to embrace the future and shape its next decade.
Sucafina is one of the leading coffee trade houses in the world, but also one with a long history. The family business was established in 1905 in the coastal city of Jaffa, in Palestine. They exported oranges and imported foodstuffs, selling their goods throughout the Middle East and expanding with each generation.
“The Jaffa orange was considered a luxury product back then, and our family was responsible for close to 10% of the exports out of Palestine. Part came from our orange groves, and part came from other estates who we helped with agricultural practices and marketing. We didn’t know it then, but we were already sourcing “specialty” products and doing sustainability work down to the farm level,” said Wahbe A. Tamari, Sucafina former CEO.
In 1948, the family immigrated to Lebanon, continuing to establish trade flows from the Middle East to Europe. This led to the founding on Armistice Day (November 11) 1977 of Sucafina in Geneva, Switzerland. The company originally dealt in sugar (SU), coffee (CA) and finance (FINA). In the 1990s, Sucafina expanded into coffee origins in East Africa where the company still maintains a leading position. In the 2000s, it added operations in Vietnam and Brazil to its portfolio. Today, Sucafina spans the globe, trading or exporting in most coffee producing nations.
“Our vision is to be the leading sustainable Farm to Roaster coffee company in the world. We’ve built on a foundation of entrepreneurship, expertise, passion, humility, and integrity, and, but are also open to new outlooks, to fresh ideas. We opened a specialty coffee branch in 2012 and used their skills to improve our quality at origin. We bought a private label roaster in 2014, which helped us better understand our clients’ needs. The world is constantly changing, and it’s our responsibility to adapt,” said Nicolas A. Tamari, Sucafina CEO.
A Sucafina team member is a merchant at heart – looking for opportunities to create value. The Company starts with the smallholder and their family, and helps them grow more and better crops. Sucafina initiated Kahawatu Foundation in 2012 to help them do that. It partners with public and private actors to bring more services, more products, and more knowledge to the supply chain. It looks at enablers like healthcare, inclusiveness, education, and financing to empower the farmer and the next generation. Then Sucafina processes that product and brings it to its clients as green, roasted, or instant coffee.
“It’s an amazing feeling to deliver a product you’ve nurtured from the tree to the cup, to be part of the story, and to build relationships that will last more than a lifetime,” added Nicolas A. Tamari.
Sucafina is one of the most dynamic, growing coffee companies out there. It is a numbers-driven team of experts looking to build lasting value, but also believe that life should be a “human” experience. Coffee isn’t just a product, it’s a value chain, and it’s a livelihood and a future for millions of people.
"Our ambition isn’t just to profit from the world, but to make it better,” affirmed Nicolas A. Tamari. “We are always learning and trying to anticipate the next change. It’s never easy, but our hard work, perseverance, and the partnerships we have forged make us what we are today. We are coffee people, passionate about our product, and we believe it makes the worlds a better place. We recruit for values and train for skills and use our Spark Program to promote internally when possible. We apply this throughout the supply chain.”
This started as a family company, and while the Tamaris hope to preserve the family values and spirit, they are pleased the shareholding is now opened to the management. All these things will ensure the company’s future in the years to come.
