SAILCARGO Partners with Café William

SAILCARGO INC. is proud to be partnering with Café William to deliver the first zero emission sailing cargo ship which will transport coffee beans from South America to Café William’s roasting plant in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

"This is a world premiere in the shipping industry. The Ceiba is a sustainably built vessel that will sail 250 tons of cargo, with zero emissions. When it goes into operation in 2023, it will be the world's largest active, clean ocean freight vessel."

Danielle Doggett, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SAILCARGO INC.

Café William owner Serge Picard inside Ceiba’s cargo hold with Danielle Doggett and Lynx Guimond - June 2021

Ceiba is a three masted traditional topsail schooner being built at the world's first regenerative shipyard in Costa Rica. As the first in a line of ships, Ceiba will have an auxiliary electric engine to maximize reliability and efficiency. These electric engines will be able to use a combination of green hydrogen fuel cells with batteries regenerated by variable pitch propellers. 

"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 they are transported over long distances. 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.”

Serge Picard, owner of Café William

SAILCARGO CEO Danielle Doggett, Café William Owner Serge Picard and SAILCARGO Technical Director Lynx Guimond, inside Ceiba’s bow. - June 2021

SAILCARGOs vision is to prove the value of clean shipping by promoting access to sustainable supply chains. Maritime transport is a crucial link in production of coffee and contributes to the overwhelming emissions of the shipping industry. The two companies believe that by leveraging Café William’s market reach with the regenerative shipping model of the Ceiba it is possible to lead the way towards a zero emission world. 

About Café William

Café William is a Quebec roaster focused on the production of organic and fair trade coffees. Its world coffees are distinguished by their exceptional quality and the desire to make them accessible to the greatest number of consumers by offering a price comparable to conventional coffees. The Quebec company is one of the most important importers of Fairtrade coffee in Canada, a certification it has held since its foundation. Its factory, located in Sherbrooke for over 30 years, maintains the highest food safety standards in the industry, namely SQF (Safe Quality Food) certification.