OUR PEOPLE
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Increase Diversity
For us at NKG, diversity is the essence of our global operations. With over 60 companies across 28 countries and more than 3,300 skilled employees, our workforce embodies a rich variety of cultures, backgrounds, and expertise. This diversity is our strength, fostering innovation and driving our success in the coffee industry.
Our Responsible Business Program aims to enhance this diversity further, creating an inclusive environment where every colleague feels valued, regardless of their personal characteristics. We are committed to equality not only as a matter of fairness, but as a catalyst for sustainable growth and innovative solutions. In 2023, we implemented our new HR software Workday to better understand and nurture our diverse workforce. With our ongoing commitment to inclusivity through initiatives like NKG PACE, we also reflect our dedication to being a global organization where diversity thrives.
Implementation of Workday
After months of intense preparation, we rolled out the global Human Resources System (HRS) Workday in December last year. Workday is a state-of-the-art HRS that offers great benefits for each individual employee, simplifies HR processes, and enhances efficiency and data security at NKG. This marks the first time in the history of NKG that all our group companies and employees worldwide use the same HRS. One of the key benefits of Workday is its data analytics and reporting capabilities, which provide real-time insight into our HR metrics such as employee engagement, turnover rates and diversity. With this data, we can make more informed decisions and develop data-driven strategies to drive business growth and diversity within our organization.
Over the course of this year, we will further expand our use of Workday by implementing the “Talent” module. With even more precise information about the skills of our employees, it will be easier for us to identify and specifically search for missing competencies within the group. This will enable us to seek out diverse backgrounds effectively and integrate them into our company in a beneficial way.
Gender Diversity at NKG
We believe that gender diversity is a crucial driver of innovation in our global coffee business. By fostering an inclusive working environment that values different perspectives, we want to enhance our problem-solving capabilities and reflect our diverse customer base across the coffee value chain.
While women play a vital role throughout this value chain, they often remain underrepresented. Due to both the history of the industry and different realities in our producing countries worldwide, this is unfortunately also still the case in our organization. In 2023, only 29.3 % of all NKG employees worldwide were women. The share of women in management positions was 27.7 %.
At NKG, we acknowledge this challenge and are committed to improving our gender balance. The recent appointment of our first woman to the Board of Management marks a significant milestone, though we recognize that there is still much progress to be made. In her new position as Director Group Human Resources, Maren Uzarek will further drive the development of modern and future-oriented human resource policies within our group.
Gender distribution
Group Level
Gender distribution
in Management *
* Heads of departments or higher levels
To the company’s knowledge, no employee identified with a gender other than male or female during the reporting year 2023. For this reason, the category “non-binary” was omitted from the report for readability.
Through initiatives like our “No Women, No Coffee” campaign on International Women’s Day, we want to highlight the essential contributions of women to our industry. By showcasing influential personalities within our organization, we seek not only to honor their achievements but also to inspire future generations to pursue their careers in coffee.
Juliete A. De Paula Botelho’s inspiring Journey
at NKG Stockler
Our group companies are already developing solutions wherever possible to address the challenges women are facing in the coffee industry. One great example of these local approaches is NKG Stockler in Brazil.
At NKG Stockler, Juliete’s journey from warehouse assistant to mill operator exemplifies our group’s commitment to gender diversity and inclusion. Despite initial challenges, Juliete pursued her dream job in the coffee mill, traditionally a male-dominated area. When faced with physical limitations, particularly in changing the heavy metal screens of the coffee graders, Juliete showed remarkable determination. NKG Stockler supported her in overcoming this challenge. The company developed a specialized tool that enables her and other employees to perform this task and thus every aspect of the milling process, regardless of physical strength or gender. Juliete’s success has paved the way for more women in the mill, inspiring others to follow suit.
Juliete’s message to other women considering similar career moves
NKG Pace: Promoting diversity in the coffee industry
At NKG, we understand that diversity encompasses far more than gender alone. In our dedication to promoting diversity, we acknowledge its broad spectrum of facets and contexts. One example of our commitment is the Neumann Kaffee Gruppe Partnership to Advance Coffee Equity (NKG PACE). NKG PACE is a quality control-focused green coffee training program designed to address the significant underrepresentation of Black professionals in key roles within the U.S. coffee industry. Created in collaboration with the Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity, NKG PACE offers members of the Black community the opportunity to gain comprehensive knowledge of green coffee importing and the pre-retail coffee world, aiming to bridge the employment and decision-making gap in the sector. Our important program is now in its third year. We are pleased to announce that in May, we welcomed a new cohort of PACE partners, following the successful graduation and Q grader certification of our previous participants. This initiative continues to showcase the strength of diverse perspectives in enhancing our industry knowledge and expertise. For more information about NKG PACE and its impact, please refer to our website: www.nkgpace.com
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