Adopting and embracing CBA’s Principles for Regenerative Landscapes

A few years ago, coffee and chocolate were just products. But at Slow, we’re changing the story. We’re not just selling beans and cocoa, we’re shaping a new future—one where our products do more than just satisfy a craving. They’re part of a larger, regenerative vision. 

Adopting and embracing CBS’s Principles for Regenerative Landscapes. © Slow

 

In the face of climate change and deforestation, businesses need to do more than simply reduce harm—they need to regenerate. That’s why we’re adapting to the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA) Principles on Regenerative Landscapes, not just to stay ahead of the curve, but to make the curve itself greener, more sustainable and more community-focused. 

What are the CBA Principles and why do they matter for coffee and chocolate?

The CBA principles are a set of guidelines designed to help businesses regenerate ecosystems, enhance livelihoods and promote sustainability. These principles guide our work in both coffee and chocolate production. We’re in the process of shifting the industry away from harmful, extractive practices and toward practices that restore and regenerate. 

The CBA principles we’re adapting to include: 
1. Regenerative ecosystem design 
2. Circular resource use 
3. Resilience and adaptation 
4. Community-centered development 
5. Biodiversity and conservation 
6. Economic prosperity and equity 
7. Transparency and accountability 

At Slow, these principles are more than just a framework—they're the foundation of everything we do, from sourcing to production and everything in between. 

Adapting to regenerative ecosystem design

In the traditional coffee and chocolate industries, monoculture farming has often been a major driver of deforestation and environmental degradation. But at Slow, we’re changing that by converting monocultural coffee plantations and cocoa farms into thriving agroforests—a model that regenerates the land and restores biodiversity. 

We’re not just growing crops—we’re growing forests, and along with them, a more sustainable future for everyone involved. 

Adapting to resilience and adaptation

Slow’s success is built on relationships—not just with our clients, but with the farmers and communities we work alongside. Community-centered development is at the heart of our model. We’re not just selling products. We’re creating economic opportunities for smallholder farmers, their families and entire communities. 

By working closely with over 300 families in Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia, we’re already seeing how regenerative farming can elevate livelihoods while creating a positive feedback loop where communities flourish alongside the land. 

Protecting what we value most

Coffee and chocolate are grown in some of the world’s most biodiverse regions, and we’re adapting to the principle of biodiversity and conservation by ensuring that our production practices support, rather than deplete, these ecosystems. 

This isn’t just about protecting ecosystems—it’s about making sure our farms are biodiverse, resilient, and capable of thriving for generations to come. By embedding conservation into our business model, we’re ensuring that our coffee and chocolate don’t just taste good—they do good, too. 

Measuring our impact, transparency and accountability

We believe that transparency is essential to earning trust and proving that our regenerative model works. That’s why we’re committed to tracking our impact every step of the way—from carbon sequestration and biodiversity restoration to social improvements within our partner communities. 

By being open about our goals, successes, and challenges, we hope to set a standard for accountability that others in the coffee and chocolate industries will follow. 

Regenerative, resilient and scalable

At Slow, we’re not just adapting to a new business model—we’re helping to create one. By embracing the CBA principles, we’re proving that coffee and chocolate can be part of a regenerative future. Our work is about more than just sustainability; it’s about creating systems that restore and regenerate the planet, one cup and one bite at a time. 

And we’re not alone—if every coffee and chocolate company took similar steps, imagine the impact we could have. Together, we can build a future where business, people, and nature grow in harmony.