Airbus and JDE Peet’s team up for worldwide coffee plantation mapping powered by satellite imagery

Airbus Defence and Space has been selected as technical partner in the Coffee Canopy Partnership. This groundbreaking initiative led by JDE Peet’s, one of the global leading coffee companies (owning brands like L’Or, Senseo, Tassimo, Jacobs, Douwe Egberts...) aims to create the world’s first comprehensive, open map of coffee plantations to support deforestation-free and resilient coffee supply chains.

The Coffee Canopy Partnership brings together world’s main coffee traders and roasters Louis Dreyfus Company, Sucden, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe, Touton, Sucafina, and Tchibo, with the support of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

By combining Pléiades (50 cm) and Pléiades Neo (30 cm) satellite imagery with advanced artificial intelligence models trained by Airbus on large datasets, coffee plantations can now be identified and monitored from space at a level of detail previously thought unattainable. These models have been deployed across multiple countries in East Africa, covering more than 1.2 million km² of diverse and complex landscapes (shade-grown and agroforestry systems). These maps will empower governments, local communities, and coffee industries to identify deforestation risk, support landscape restoration and protect the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers.

“The Partnership is designed to move beyond fragmented, company-led deforestation initiatives by fostering collaboration at a landscape scale – supporting efforts to map and safeguard coffee-growing regions, not just individual supply chains. This is not another certification scheme; it is a sector-led initiative aimed at strengthening collective action to help keep forests vibrant and reduce the risk of coffee-driven deforestation over time. We warmly invite all players in the coffee sector to join us” Laurent Sagarra, VP Engagement at JDE Peet’s.

"Leveraging our very high-resolution Pléiades and Pléiades Neo satellite imagery combined with advanced AI capabilities, Airbus helps identify deforestation risk and protect our world’s forests, while simultaneously empowering food producers and smallholder farmers with the transparency and reliable data needed to strengthen their resilience and build a truly sustainable supply chain." highlights Eric Even, Head of Space Digital at Airbus Defence and Space.

Early results demonstrate a level of precision and scalability that sets a new benchmark for agricultural monitoring. Building on the success of initial deployments in Africa, Airbus and its partner aim to scale this capability globally, achieving worldwide coverage of all coffee-growing regions in 2027 through expanded industry and institutional co-investment. By contributing its geospatial and AI expertise to Canopy, Airbus supports the transformation of the coffee ecosystem toward greater resilience and sustainability.