Café William Revolutionizes its Industry and Invests in a Zero-Emission Sailboat to Transport Its Coffee Beans

Café William is taking advantage of its partner SAILCARGO’s presence at COP26 to announce its investment in the first zero-emission sailing cargo ship to transport its coffee beans from South America to its roasting plant in Sherbrooke.

“This is a world premiere in the shipping industry. The Ceiba is a sustainably built vessel that will carry cargo, with zero emissions. When it goes into operation in 2023, it will be the world’s largest active, clean ocean freight vessel,” said Danielle Doggett, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SAILCARGO.

“We have been investing for several years to rethink the value chain and make it sustainable and this innovation is part of that commitment. Since coffee trees do not grow in cold regions like ours, it is inevitable that the harvest coffee beans are transported over long distances,” said Serge Picard, owner of Café William. “Our investment in this innovative project will allow us to considerably reduce our carbon footprint and, along with our other projects, to eventually produce a zero-emission coffee, a first in the coffee world,” concludes Mr. Picard.

Café William is rethinking the future of coffee production at every stage of its creation. Maritime transport is part of a crucial stage of production and is a major source of pollution. Industry standard cargo ships navigate due to the exploitation of fossil fuels that contribute significantly to global warming. The investment in the construction of a wind-powered sailing cargo ship, which is zero emission, is an ambitious solution that is currently under construction and will be operational in 2023.