26th November 2019

Dear valued partner,

JDE Common Grounds (previously known as the JDE Supplier Initiative), is a coffee supplier
engagement program, established in 2016 in partnership with the Rainforest Alliance. It is designed
to continuously improve the social, economic and environmental conditions in origins where coffee
is grown. The Common Grounds methodology has 4 steps:

1. Creating an open dialogue with suppliers;

2. Comparing supplier self-assessments with Rainforest Alliance origin issue assessments and
independent third-party field assessments;
3. Partnering with suppliers, NGOs and governments to implement projects to address the issues;
4. Finally, continuously monitoring, evaluating and learning from our progress.

In 2016, JDE & Rainforest Alliance piloted this program in Minas Gerais in Brazil, Uganda and
Indonesia. In 2017, the program was expanded in the rest of Brazil and 6 additional key sourcing
countries within the coffee supply chain of JDE. In total, 86 self-assessment forms from direct
suppliers were received. Based on the consolidated results & in-depth analysis, we established 17
continuous improvement projects in collaboration with partners (including some of you) in 9
countries, to address priority issues identified through the Common Grounds methodology.

Beginning of December, JDE will commence the second round of supplier self-assessments
designed to reassess and amend the priority issues related to green coffee sustainability
as the next step to JDE’s commitment to work towards 100% responsibly sourced coffee &
tea by 2025.

What is different?
▪ We have digitalized the program, moving away from an Excel self-assessment form, and are
introducing a new online platform from our partner SupplyShift. In the coming days, you will
receive an email from SupplyShift with a personal link to log-on to the platform.
▪ We have expanded the scope of the self-assessment (topics, geographies, increased number of
suppliers).
▪ We have reviewed the JDE coffee sourcing principles to align them with the 3 Common Grounds
focus areas: Sustainability of land, Equality of people and Prosperity of farmers. Please find
attached the revised JDE responsible coffee sourcing principles.

At JDE, we are continuously looking for impactful ways to strengthen our Corporate Responsibility
efforts. We are particularly concerned about the significant challenges facing coffee producers
around the world and are committed to supporting them through our Common Grounds program. It
is important to remember that the Common Grounds program does not mean that all issues in the
coffee supply chain are solved at once, it’s a continuous journey. The 4-step methodology is designed
to identify issues that continue to be present in more traditional sourcing models, and to jointly
tackle them in a structured and collaborative way.

We value our continued partnership and thank you in advance for your active participation and
engagement in the second round of the JDE supplier engagement program. Please reach out to me
if you have any questions.

Kind regards,

JDE Sustainability Manager, APAC