A Togolese at the helm of the International Coffee Organization

Togolese Enselme Gouthon, Secretary General of the CCFCC (Coffee and Cocoa Sector Coordination Committee), was elected President of the International Coffee Organization (ICO) on Friday.

The election took place at the 5th World Coffee Conference, which was held in India. 

80 countries and 2,600 delegates were present at the Bangalore Palace

Gouthon was chosen for his extensive knowledge of the coffee industry, in which he has worked for over 40 years. 

He succeeds Italian Max Massimiliano Fabian as President of the ICO. 

Gouthon is also President of the ACRAM (Agence des Cafés Robusta d’Afrique et de Madagascar (ACRAM).

The International Coffee Organization is the leading intergovernmental organization that deals with coffee issues. It brings together exporting and importing countries.

Its member governments represent 98% of global coffee production and more than 67% of global coffee consumption.

The ICO's mission is to strengthen the global coffee sector and encourage its sustainable development in the context of a market economy for the well-being of all participants in the sector.

It makes a concrete contribution to the development of a sustainable global coffee sector and to poverty reduction in developing countries by: 

On the sidelines of the global conference, Enselme Gouthon received an award from the Indian authorities (Ministry of Commerce) and Indian coffee promotion organizations (Coffee Board of India).

This recognition is for his commitment to developing the production and consumption of African and global coffee and supporting the production and, consequently, the incomes of farmers.