Café William to bring in second shipment fair trade coffee beans by cargo sailboat

Café William has initiated its second wind-powered green coffee bean shipment, bringing Fair Trade and organic beans from Colombia to Quebec. For office coffee and vending operators, the OCS products can appeal to clients with strong sustainability initiatives.

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Café William

Sept. 4, 2025

2 min read

TransOceanic Wind Transport) cargo sailboat transporting green coffee beans Cafe William — The TOWT (TransOceanic Wind Transport) cargo sailboat will carry green coffee beans from Colombia to Quebec. Departure is scheduled for September 15 from Santa Marta, Colombia.

Café William’s latest move in sustainable coffee transport may give sustainability-focused office coffee service operators a new story to tell customers.

Café William has commissioned the TransOceanic Wind Transport cargo sailboat to carry green coffee beans, including those from Colombia’s ANEI cooperative, to Quebec next month. The vessel is scheduled to dock on October 1 at the Port of Rimouski.

The shipment marks the second installment of wind-powered shipment via TOWT by Café William. For the Sherbrooke, Quebec–based roaster, the voyage is part of a broader effort to reduce the carbon footprint of coffee production.

“This is more than just our second voyage; it’s a powerful demonstration of our long-term commitment,” said Rémi Tremblay, president and CEO of Café William, in a release. “Talking about commitments isn’t enough. You have to live them, repeat them, and keep strengthening them.”

Café William is one of Canada’s largest importers of organic and Fair Trade-certified coffee, sourcing beans from farms where workers are paid fairly and growing practices avoid synthetic pesticides.

all electric coffee bean roaster at Cafe Willam — Once in Canada, the beans are roasted at Café William’s Sherbrooke facility in an all-electric industrial roaster.

Once the shipment arrives, the coffee will be roasted at the company’s Sherbrooke facility, which houses a fully electric industrial roaster, reportedly the world’s first. The system, with an annual capacity of 20 million pounds, reduces emissions by an estimated 800 metric tons of CO₂ each year, the company says, compared to conventional gas-powered methods.

For convenience services providers, sourcing coffee with a reduced carbon footprint and Fair Trade certification may appeal to workplaces looking to align breakroom offerings with corporate sustainability goals.