Let's have a Cup of Ambition

Since its launch, the M&S Cup of Ambition fund has supported over 1,000 farmers and workers across six countries in our Roast & Ritual and Gold supply chains. Through one of our key delivery partners, Emerging Leaders, Cup of Ambition has trained these farmers in leadership skills and financial literacy, helping unlock their potential and build resilience through income diversification.

In the year following the training, Emerging Leaders conducted follow-up evaluations to measure the impact against baseline data. Here are just some of the amazing results we've seen so far:

Increase in farmers engaging in income diversification

• Brazil: 43% to 66%

• Malawi: 52% to 88%

Increase in average monthly income for farmers

• Peru: Grew by 55%

• Kenya: Grew by 28%

Increase in the number of farmers who report ‘always save’

• Brazil: 29% to 44%

• Rwanda: 51% to 60%

In 2024, the Cup of Ambition fund expanded its reach and impact by partnering with two new organisations – CARE Peru and Fairtrade Africa – to support initiatives focused on building resilience and livelihood improvements for smallholder farmers in our M&S Café tea and coffee supply chains.

CARE Peru – Female Coffee Entrepreneurs at Frontera, Peru

This initiative has been established at Frontera cooperative in Peru, where CARE Peru aims to reach 100 farmers to graduate in their entrepreneurship training programme. Launched in January 2025, the first two training sessions have already taken place.

Fairtrade Africa - Energy Efficient Cookstove Programme in Oromia, Ethiopia

M&S are investing in new cookstoves for Ethiopian coffee farmers and their families, with an aim to reduce household air pollution and carbon emissions from home cooking. The investment will allow for the production and distribution of around 15,000 part-subsidised cookstoves, which are more energy efficient than traditional cooking equipment. The cookstoves will be produced locally by young coffee coop members, creating opportunities to learn new skills and to diversify their income. The programme also includes training in climate change for 50 coffee producers, which will be cascaded down by lead farmers.

One of our tea growers from Rwanda, Murekatete Francoise

Murekatete Francoise, a mother of three, shared that before attending the Emerging Leaders training, she and her husband relied solely on income from tea farming but overlooked small yet significant details that led to unnoticed losses. Despite having enough land, their production was low, and they ended up buying vegetables instead of growing their own. They were purchasing fertiliser while having the potential to raise cows for milk and manure.

After the training, Francoise shared her learnings with her husband, and together they implemented changes that greatly improved their lives. She reported that they now grow their own vegetables, saving RWF 50,000 (£35) that they previously spent, and have reduced fertiliser costs by two-thirds by breeding cows.

Francoise said that these changes not only boosted her confidence but also improved her savings. She has earned the trust and respect of her community, with neighbours now seeking advice from her on how to replicate their success. She concluded by saying that, with these achievements, she now sees great potential for the future and feels hopeful about investing in their limited resources instead of relying on loans, leaving her with a sense of being truly valued.