Nestlé-owned Nespresso has announced a long-term investment plan to help revive Zimbabwe’s coffee industry and stimulate the rural economy. Under the plan, the company will provide training and technical assistance to 400 smallholder coffee farmers over the next five years, with the goal of increasing the country’s production of quality sustainable coffee.

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Zimbabwe’s coffee sector is in danger of disappearing as the result of a sharp decline in production over the past 18 years, following a series of economic shocks affecting many of Zimbabwe’s agricultural industries.

 

Nespresso expects to buy more than 95 per cent of the high-quality coffee production of Zimbabwean smallholders this season and is already working with farmers for the next harvest, where it expects volumes to increase, marking a potential turning point for Zimbabwe’s coffee producers. The coffee will be available to global consumers in 2019. 

 

Jean-Marc Duvoisin, CEO of Nespresso, said: “We are investing in reviving coffee farming in different regions of the world, where adverse conditions have impacted the lives of farmers and their ability to grow and nurture their coffee industries. Zimbabwe has a long history of producing beautiful coffees and we are pleased to be working with farmers through our AAA Sustainable Quality Program to help bring this industry back to life.” 

 

Long-term, sustainable quality

 

Under the AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program, Nespresso currently works with more than 75,000 farmers who benefit from hands-on support from agronomists as they learn how to develop their businesses. Working together, the agronomists and farmers look at the best growing and management practices for their crops, including technical assistance in agricultural practices to ensure quality. Through their participation in the AAA Program, the farmers are able to improve their coffee quality and achieve better productivity and standards in environmental and social welfare.

 

Together with TechnoServe, an international non-profit organization specializing in business solutions to poverty, Nespresso is training farmers to revive their production through climate-smart, sustainable farming practices. “We are honoured to partner with Nespresso and the farmers of Zimbabwe to help transform one of the country’s most promising sectors and share more of its incredible coffee with the world,” said TechnoServe President and CEO, William Warshauer. “In line with TechnoServe’s market-centred approach to reducing poverty, we know that better coffee will lead to better incomes, better lives, and better futures for the hardworking people of Zimbabwe.”

 

The revival of the Zimbabwean coffee industry is part of Nespresso’s commitment to investing in coffee communities to create sustainable sources of income, preserve the environment and ensure coffee availability for future generations. Nespresso’s investment in Zimbabwe follows similar efforts the company has made to revive coffee production in South Sudan and in former conflict zones of Colombia.