Why Nespresso strengthens its partnership with Fairtrade

“If we want to remain able to offer our customers good quality and sustainable coffee, we need to work closely with coffee farmers around the world,” says Nespresso BeLux’ managing director Brema Drohan.

Long term view

Her statement follows the launch of Nespresso’s new Master Origin Indonesia coffee, made from 100% fair-trade certified coffee beans. This coffee is the result of years of intensive cooperation between Fairtrade and Nespresso, to improve the quality of life of coffee farmers all over the world.

The coffee company has implemented the AAA Sustainable Quality programme in 2003, which offers coffee farmers support, training, financing and technical assistance. The long-term partnership with Fairtrade takes it one step further: the organisation for honest trade is a member of the Nespresso Sustainability Advisory Board. In October 2017, the brand launched two Fairtrade certified ‘limited editions’; now a fair-trade coffee joins its permanent range. This year, the coffee brand wants to buy more than 6 % of its coffee from fair trade certified farmers.

Local initiatives

Coffee is a very popular drink worldwide and therefore a valuable agricultural product, but due to an unstable market and complex supply chain, the (mainly small) coffee farmers are unable to benefit from it, says Charles Snoeck of Fairtrade Belgium. The Fairtrade model ensures producers some income security and helps them to set up projects in their local community.

The new Master Origin Indonesia coffee is a good example: in the province of Aceh in Indonesia, 1,813 farmers (including 477 women) have established a cooperation that supplies the beans for this coffee. Fairtrade and Nespresso help the cooperation by supporting various initiatives: these include building schools, mapping soil erosion and investing in infrastructure for the coffee harvest. All projects are decided on by the local community, emphasizes Manu Jindal, who is responsible for sustainability projects worldwide at Nespresso.

Additionally, Fairtrade gives coffee farmers a platform to tell their story to a worldwide audience. When original coffees appeal to consumers, it is not only about the ‘terroir’, but about local craftsmanship and the story of the people behind the coffee as well, Drohan knows. The Master Origin Indonesia is part of the Master Origin collection, which also offers coffees from Ethiopia, Colombia, Nicaragua and India: they all come from the Nespresso sustainability programme.