Insomnia Fairtrade Projects

This year we're celebrating 17 years of having 100% Fairtrade Coffee!

Our Community Projects

Every year, since 2009, we have taken part in Fairtrade Fortnight, where a percentage from each hot beverage sold is donated to our nominated Insomnia Community projects. To date we have raised over €210,000 for these nominated community projects.

FAIRTRADE Fortnight 2023

This year we raised an incredible €20,295 which will go directly to our nominated project in the COCAOL, Honduras to provide equipment to create a sustainable and environmental friendly business for honey production and ultimately empower the coffee producers in the COCAOL Co-op.

COCAOL Co-op, Honduras

The coffee cooperative of Olancho Limited (COCAOL) was established on November 15th, 1968, at the initiative of a group of coffee producers in order to access better conditions of productive infrastructure, better marketing channels and access to financial sources.

COCAOL obtained legal status on May 23, 1969, benefiting its associates with a range of services such as coffee drying and transportation and organic agricultural. It also made efforts to train its associates in various issues related to coffee farming and cooperativism.

The coffee farms of the cooperative are located in the Sierra de Agalta National Park at altitudes of 1000 to 1500 meters above sea level under natural shade primary forests and includes 55 men and 30 women.

The amount raised will contribute to:

Providing equipment to create a sustainable and environmentally friendly business for honey production
Diversify sources of income for male and female coffee farmers
Environmental protection through the production of honey by breeding and keeping bees

Fairtrade Fortnight 2022

Last year we raised an incredible €20,145 which went directly to our nominated project in the Unen Choit Co-op in Papua New Guinea to provide technology to improve farming and a solar solution package for energy.

The amount raised during these two weeks provided:

Providing technology to control humidity and moisture to improve the coffee quality
Improving the coffee production by providing a solar solution package for energy & communications
Creating a remote coffee training programme to upskill the coffee producers

Unen Choit Cooperative

Located in a remote coastal region of Papua New Guinea, the Unen Choit Co-op, has achieved the Fairtrade certification in 2016 and has been able to establish a supply chain to bring coffee to market – which is a major accomplishment for the cooperative considering there’s only two ways to reach the villages (plane over the mountains or a 7-hour boat ride).

Today, the Unen Choit is made up of 1750 smallholders and invests their Fairtrade Premium in a range of projects that benefit the local community, as well as helping to assist its farmers. The Fairtrade Premium earnings have allowed Unen Choit to enhance quality and productivity, improve business capacity and empower women.

The funds raised during this Fairtrade Fortnight helped the Unen Choit Co-op coffee farmers to improve their coffee production knowledge - which ultimately will improve business capacity and empower the community.

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT 2021

During 2021 Fairtrade Fortnight we’ve supported the producers of our Voyager Coffee – The COCAFCAL Co-op in Honduras. In 2021 we raised an incredible €20,095 which went directly to our nominated project in the COCAFCAL Co-op to promote leadership and Youth entrepreneurship.

2021 - the results of our project

The funds raised during 2021 for the Leadership and Youth Entrepreneurship project in COCAFCAL allowed the purchase of equipment and materials to run a training course focused on the development of skills required by the young people of the communities surrounding Capucas.

The first stage of the workshop “Starting my Company" was held during 2021, allowing the young to acquire basic technical knowledge on the creation and management of a company that is sustainable in its operations, sustainable in the market and feasible in its finances (generating profits after paying its operating costs and expenses), so that each participant can then apply it in real practice in their own company.

The 2021 Fairtrade project funds were also used to develop other coffee products (such as Sweet sauces, Isotonic drinks, Ice Cream) which will increase the opportunities for knowledge and involvement of young people in tasks aimed at maximizing the opportunities of the resources offered by coffee growing.

In addition, during 2022, the funds will also support the development of a generational changeover project through the creation of a virtual platform for training in barista skills and cupping, reaching more young coffee growers, motivating them to learn about the production process and quality control, generating employment opportunities and business ideas and promoting the technological and productive competitiveness of the coffee sector.

The 2021 Fairtrade Project achieved amazing results, thanks to our customers, who’ve contributed to...

developing a more sustainable community by providing the COCAFCAL families with knowledge and development options from their community, without having to migrate to other territories.

This contributes to stability and progress in the area.

Project Objectives

Providing accredited diploma programmes in leadership and business management.
Training future coffee producers of the cooperative and successful entrepreneurs.
Supporting the development and sustainable growth of small enterprises in the community.

Take a closer look at the COCAFCAL farm and the 2021 Insomnia Community project:

COCAFCAL Cooperative

The Cooperativa Cafetalera Capucas Limitada, commonly known as COCAFCAL or simply, Capucas, was founded by Omar Rodríguez Interiano in 1999 in Las Capucas, western Honduras.
Once an established coffee producer, Rodríguez decided to share his knowledge with other coffee growers in the region, forming the cooperative.
Today, the organization is made up of 359 small-scale coffee producers, of which 18% are women.
Widely known in the coffee industry, COCAFCAL works to promote sustainable development and support the local economy. As a part of their mission, the organization aims to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life in rural communities throughout the region.

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT 2020

In 2020, we raised an amazing €25,000 during Fairtrade Fortnight, all funds raised went directly to the ACODIHUE (Asociacion de Cooperacion al Desarrollo Integral de Huehuetenango) Cooperative in Guatemala with the aim of Empowering and Advancing Women within the Coffee Industry.

With the specific financing raised by Insomnia, advance payments for coffee were provided to women who delivered 125 tonnes of coffee exported as micro lots that were paid at an average of $1950 per tonne to each producer, well above the average NY stock market price of USD $1200 per tonne.

The money raised with the Insomnia Fairtrade Project 2020 assisted the women to obtain this better than average price and also eliminated the need for expensive borrowing. The women's coffee from the Awal Nan Women Producers Network Association is marketed in the United States and in Europe, so that ACODIHUE, with help from Insomnia and our customers, assists the women to obtain a decent income for the well-being of their families.

Project Objectives

Financial independence for the women of the ACODIHUE cooperative in Guatemala
Technical training to ensure higher levels of productivity on the farms
Improved management processes for coffee cultivation

ACODIHUE Cooperative

ACODIHUE was founded in 1996 in the city of Huehuetenango, Guatemala. The mission of ACODIHUE is to contribute to the sustainable social economic development of partner organisations and the local population through the provision of services, the promotion of value chains and entrepreneurship. It was one of the first organisations to promote coffee grown by its members under the label of “Café a Manos de Mujer” (“Coffee Made by Women”). The initiative has been successful and the coffee of ACODIHUE is already recognised in the international market. However, the women now want to use better production in the planting of the crop to increase productivity without jeopardising the quality of the coffee produced.

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT 2019

In 2009, we worked directly with the producers of our hugely popular Voyager Coffee, the Manizales Coffee Cooperative. 5 cents was donated from every Hot Beverage sold during Fairtrade Fortnight, February 25th to March 10th 2019. The total amount raised was €21,650.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Provide eco-efficient cookers and kitchens to families and improve coffee quality conditions at farm level.
Improve health and living conditions of cooperative members and their families
Aid environmental protection; resulting in a reduction in the demand for wood to a sustainable level
Empower women at farm level

Manizales Coffee Cooperative

The cooperative produce our Voyager Medium Roast which provides a sweeter taste, it is balanced with both acidity and sugar and has notes of dark chocolate, malt, red fruit and a little squeeze of grapefruit. We recommend that it is served as a Flat White or tall sized coffee.

The Manizales Coffee Growers' Cooperative was founded on 22 August 1960 with the aim of providing coffee producers fair prices, cash payment and fair weight when buying and selling coffee. Today, with 59 years of experience, the cooperative ensures the collective interests of its members by providing commercial and social programmes and services to improve the quality of life of farmers and their families. The social programmes include pensions, an education programme, health services and funeral grants.

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT 2018

In 2018, we raised €15,210 which went directly to our nominated project of the ASOBAGRI Coffee Cooperative, in Guatemala, with the aim to empower Women within the coffee industry in Latin America.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Improve market access for coffee produced by the female members of the ASOBAGRI Coffee Cooperative
Promote the participation of women in the cooperative activities
Develop a coffee retail outlet for ASOBAGRI
Brand identity development for two coffee profiles produced by women

ASOBAGRI Coffee Cooperative

ASOBAGRI has 278 indigenous women members involved in the production of Fairtrade coffee. The cooperative has been prioritising the inclusion of Women in the association governing bodies and in the decision-making processes, to rule out decisions in favour of gender equality in local organizations like municipalities, associations, financial and companies in Guatemala.

Women in ASOBAGRI have a certification for the coffee they produced - “Coffee in Women’s hands”, which allows them to sell in special market niches. This is an achievement for ASOBAGRI and for the women who have been fighting discrimination and impartiality in Guatemala.

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT 2017

In 2017 Insomnia's Fairtrade Community Project raised over €14,305 through Fairtrade Fortnight and 100% of this money went directly to the ACPC Pichanaki Coffee Cooperative (CAC PICHANAKI ACPC), in Peru.

The project contributed to the construction of a Youth Centre for young members and the children of members and workers involved in production of Fairtrade certified coffee in Peru.

The young members of the Fairtrade certified coffee cooperatives in the Junin region can now use the Youth Centre facilities to hold social and cultural activities, including:

Training of young coffee growers in the Junin regions, with a view to include youth in the coffee business;
Develop events and courses in technical training and business management for young members of the coffee organisations;
Develop cultural events for youth.

ACPC Pichanaki Agrarian Coffee Cooperative

ACPC Pichanaki Agrarian Coffee Cooperative is an organisation of 302 coffee producers (64 women and 238 men). Founded 15 years ago, it became Fairtrade certified in 2009 and now sells its coffee to Canada, the US and throughout Europe, continually improving its quality and sustainability. As part of its effort to ensure its future, the cooperative believes that it is essential to involve its young members and the children of its members, encouraging their commitment to the organisation. To this end, this youth centre will improve and professionalise the training of its members in tasks such as pruning, seed management, pest and disease assessment, waste water management, quality control, coffee roasting, barista training and business management.

The immediate beneficiaries are the 100 young coffee farmers and children of members and workers in ACPC Pichanaki coffee cooperative and 10 other small coffee cooperatives in the Junin region.

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT 2014 - 2016

The funds raised during Fairtrade Fortnight from 2014 to 2016, have gone directly to the construction of a student Infirmary and Dispensary for the Hekima Girls School in Bukoba, Tanzania, our nominated Fairtrade project.

The objective for this project, which started back in February 2014, and raised over €37,182, was to take care of student’s health, ease the school nurses burden of commuting to and from hospitals, while also greatly reduce involving healthy students in nursing the sick and therefore ultimately promote students’ academic performance.

Hekima Girls School Background

The Hekima Girls School is located in the rural village Kashozi, 12 km NW of Bukoba town. The school was primarily set-up to rescue young women by providing them with quality education especially those from poor economic backgrounds who would otherwise be faced with hostile cultural, economic, academic and social injustices.

One of the most pressing challenges is looking after students health, on average, 20 students are treated for Malaria each week, needing bed rest of 2 to 3 days. The new Infirmary can house 10 students, 1 nurse’s bedroom, a small simple kitchen and dining room, a pharmacy, a laboratory and examination room. The infirmary helps combat Malaria and other diseases, minimize the possibility of students being infected with other illnesses by patients outside the school and providing the school nurse ample time and space to take care of all the sick students so healthy students can concentrate on their studies.

Here's some milestones that lead to the successfull conclusion of this project:

2014

January: Project Gets the Green Light
February: Fairtrade Fortnight raises €11,648 for this project
November: Begin the initial stages of the build

2015

January: Foundation construction work beings
February: Fairtrade Fortnight Raises €12,031 to continue this project
March: The foundation excavation, concrete, wall, beam and backfilling are all nearing completion
July: Finishing work has started with floor concrete already laid; and plastering and ceiling work ongoing

2016

January: The build is complete and the Infirmary starts to provide medical services to students
February: Fairtrade Fortnight Raised €13,503 to ensuring the newly built Infirmary and Dispensary had all the required equipment (medical supplies, blankets and bed sheets) needed to effectively take care of student's health

Sustainability

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Here at Insomnia, we care about sustainability. The social and ecological impacts of our daily business can be extensive. We are aware of this and put every effort towards acting sustainably. We’ve been trying to achieve this by:

Serving 100% certified Fairtrade Coffee
Creating annual Fairtrade Community Projects since 2006
Rewarding customers for using any reusable cup in our stores through our Treats programme
Giving away our coffee grounds for customers to reuse at home
Ensuring our stores are improving their energy efficiency with energy reducing lightbulbs, fridges and dishwashers

Coffee & Tea – Fairtrade Certified

Our coffee tastes great (even if we say so ourselves). And isn’t it satisfying to know that it also helps to sustain communities around the globe? Our signature dark roast coffee blend comes from four communities in Colombia, Brazil, Sumatra and Vietnam and our Voyager coffee is a dual-origin blend which comes from Honduras and Papua New Guinea (More on our Voyager blend here). We launched our 100% Fairtrade certified coffee and tea in 2006.

Over the course of a year we sell over 30 million Fairtrade cups of coffee.

With the steady and fair business generated by Insomnia, the communities we work with can build educational and medical facilities, improve water and electrical supply and facilitate living conditions.

Our tea is also certified by the Rainforest Alliance, meaning we ensure that the tea we serve is produced in environmentally friendly and socially responsible ways, and that workers receive good wages, have proper living conditions, and access to education and health care. If you want to find out more about our Fairtrade projects click here.

PAPER STRAWS

We have introduced paper straws in all of our stores, and...

We are happy to say that from June 2018 we have been completely free of plastic straws!

Paper straws are so much better for the environment as they will biodegrade quickly and don’t need to be disposed of in a commercial composting centre. It’s another win for the turtles!

WASTE IN STORES

As of June 2018 we were the first Irish coffee chain to introduce compost bins in all of our high street stores. This was a crucial step in our sustainability mission. You can dispose of your compostable coffee cups, tea bags and food waste in our compost bins.

We are happy to accept any other (non insomnia) compostable coffee cup in these bins too.

Our segregated bins have different sections clearly marked to show you where to empty liquids from your cup, where to place the cups for composting and where the recyclable lids and any other mixed recycling can be disposed of.

REUSABLE ALTERNATIVES IN STORES

Insomnia’s number one goal on our mission to sustainability is to eliminate all single use plastics from our stores.

While most of the plastics we currently use are recyclable, we know we can do our part for the environment by replacing recyclable plastics with compostable or reusable alternatives where possible.

In the summer of 2018 we began trialling the use of glass tumblers for iced drinks consumed in store, in order to reduce the amount of recyclable plastic being used. So far this has been a great success and we've continued to add more glassware to stores for our customers who are enjoying a sit-in iced coffee or ICECAP.

REDUCE & REUSE

Insomnia’s takeaway drinks are even better when served in a reusable cup, which is why in 2012 we brought in Insomnia KeepCups.

By bringing your KeepCup, or any other reusable cup, into Insomnia you are helping to reduce the amount of disposable cups going to the waste and composting facilities.

As a reward, we will add €0.20 extra Treats Credit to your Insomnia Treats account every time you bring your Insomnia KeepCup or any other reusable cup into participating Insomnia high street stores. You can purchase a 12oz or 16oz Insomnia KeepCup in any participating Insomnia store.

REUSABLE WASTE

In our daily business we handle pounds and pounds of coffee.

After our delicious coffees have been brewed, we repack the coffee grounds and offer them to our customers for free.

The advantages the used grounds hold for the environment are countless and another great benefit is that the grounds are not added into landfill. Using coffee grounds on plants and gardens is sustainable and beneficial. There are three ways to use coffee grounds on your plants: for composting, as fertilizer and to control pests.

You can also reuse coffee grounds for beauty products such as coffee body scrubs and rejuvenating face masks. Make a coffee candle, use the grounds to make a wood stain or even to make coffee seasoning. It’s great to know that our grounds can be put to such good use after you enjoyed your favourite coffee and we are happy to supply them to our customers. Pick up a FREE coffee ground bag in any of our stores.

ENERGY CONSUMPTION

We’re very conscious of the impact of energy usage within our stores and are proactively trying to reduce the amount of electricity wasted. Measures we have taken to reduce electricity wastage include:

LED lighting
Low energy fridges
Ovens turned off when not in use
Dishwashers – lower water consumption per cycle

REFILL IRELAND

We've joined Refill Ireland’s initiative which aims “to make Irish towns and cities tap water refill friendly for everyone while on the go”.

By the end of this year, all our high street stores will provide water refill stations for customers’ reusable water bottles, again reducing our single use plastic items!

Each store will have a sticker on the window indicating to customers they can refill their bottle inside. The best part is that this will be completely free of charge for the customer and is protecting our environment from bottle waste.

Awards & Certificates

Loyalty just got easier. Register today!

Login / Register

Awards & Certificates

The Insomnia Way

Loyalty just got easier. Register today!

Login / Register

The Insomnia Way

We’re genuine and fun lovin’ with a fresh approach to enjoying the little moments in life.

We promise that you will get the best cup of coffee every single time you visit.

We have an appetite for innovation and are always seeking new opportunities and ways of doing things differently.

Our world is better when our customers are happy ones!

Our People

Insomnia Fairtrade Projects

Loyalty just got easier. Register today!

Login / Register