Nespresso aims to revive Zimbabwe’s coffee industry and stimulate the country’s rural economy through a new long-term investment plan.
The Nestlé-owned business 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 sustainable coffee.
Nespresso said that “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 the country’s agricultural industries.
The unit expects to buy “more than 95% of the high-quality coffee production of Zimbabwean smallholders this season”. The coffee will be available to global consumers in 2019.
Nespresso 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.
Jean-Marc Duvoisin, CEO of Nespresso, said: “Zimbabwe has a long history of producing beautiful coffees and we are pleased to be working with farmers through our AAA Sustainable Quality Programme to help bring this industry back to life.”
Together with TechnoServe, an international non-profit organisation specialising in business solutions to poverty, Nespresso aims to train farmers to revive their production through 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.”
Last year Nespresso announced it would invest $50 million in coffee cultivation in Colombiaas it expands its coffee-sourcing programme for the first time into several former conflict zones in the country. - www.foodbev.com
