TORONTO — Nespresso has announced the launch of Reviving Origins, a new program to restore coffee farming in regions where it is under threat. The collection will launch May 26.
“Through our Reviving Origins program, we have an opportunity to bring back forgotten coffees, boost economic development in regions where there has been significant adversity and share a completely new taste experience with consumers,” says Jean-Marc Duvoisin, CEO of Nespresso.
Through its AAA Sustainable Quality Program, Nespresso is partnering with farmers in regions that have been hit by conflicts, economic hardships or environmental disasters. The coffee company is investing 10-million Swiss Francs over the next five years to revive the coffee industries in selected countries. The Reviving Origins program is part of Nespresso’s overall commitment to invest 500-million Swiss Francs from 2014 to 2020 through its sustainability program — The Positive Cup.
So far, Nespresso has launched its AAA program in Zimbabwe, Columbia and South Sudan. In 2018, the company also announced plans to support the rebuilding of coffee farming in Puerto Rico after 80 per cent of its coffee farms were destroyed by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.
In partnership with the global non-profit organization, TechnoServe, Nespresso has worked with the local coffee farming community in Manicaland Province — located in eastern Zimbabwe — to establish sustainable-farming practices, bringing expert trainers and new techniques to tackle issues such as coffee processing and tree management. This investment has helped produce a higher quality Arabica coffee that will be available for a limited time in 18 countries.
“This project is not only bringing back some of the world’s best coffee, it’s bringing back economic opportunities in Zimbabwe’s hard-hit rural areas,” says William Warshauer, president and CEO of TechnoServe. “As a non-profit that takes a business approach to reducing poverty, TechnoServe is excited to partner with Nespresso and the farmers of Zimbabwe to build a brighter and more prosperous future.”
