There is no denying that coffee like Nescafé has been a significant part of our lives for many years. A simple beverage that often serves as a source of energy to get us through our day. On the other hand, coffee may be simple for some, but a considerable part to some individuals that often remain behind the scene in producing coffee.
These individuals are the coffee farmers that are often neglected and unnoticed. But in a press release published on Nestle's website, Nescafé has set a goal to use the power of coffee to improve these individuals' lives.
According to Food Manufacturing, Nescafé is eager to execute its plans to have its coffee 100 percent responsibly sourced by 2025. It is said to be part of a 10-year plan created to improve farmer's lives.
The Nescafé Plan
This elaborately designed plan was first implemented in 2010 and aims to help improve farmers' incomes, limit the environmental impact caused by coffee factories and farms, and increase rural communities' well-being such as Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, Mexico, Philippines, and Vietnam.
Related reports reveal that Nestlé invested CHF 350 million in the Nescafé Plan ever since its inception. Nescafé's Senior Vice President, Head of Beverages Strategic Business Unit, Philipp Navratil, explained that together with 230 Nescafé agronomists, they aim to improve farms' efficiency and agricultural practices.
This will enable the coffee farmers to command a premium price for coffee grown sustainably. Furthermore, he noted that to make farmers more resilient and less dependent on monocultures, they have diversified sources of farmer income.
Also, the Nescafé Plan aims to uphold better social conditions in and around coffee farms. To achieve this, they plan to increase labor rights, child protection, youth, and women empowerment.
Moreover, to lessen the environmental impact for coffee farms, they aim to reduce and eliminate carbon emissions where coffee is sourced and throughout its operations. Plus, they will be using environmentally friendly packaging to reach its 2025 packaging commitment.
To fully realize the plans that Nescafé had come up with, they partnered with Rainforest Alliance. Chief Markets Officer of Rainforest Alliance, Alex Morgan, explained that the partnership with Nestlé on the Nescafé Plan focuses on improving and optimizing coffee farming.
Data and evidence gathered by Rainforest Alliance through training, monitoring, and evaluation is used to tailor-fit Nescafé's activities for the coffee farmers.
Achievements With The Nescafé Plan
Nescafé purchased more than 649,000 metric tons of responsibly sourced coffee in 2020, making it the largest volume from a sole coffee buyer. That accounts for 75 percent of coffee responsibly sourced by Nescafé. Nescafé has contributed to the renovation of nearly 120,000 hectares of coffee farms worldwide and distributed 235 million disease-resistant and high-yielding coffee plantlets.
The company also delivered over 900,000 farmer training sessions on acceptable agricultural practices that teach farmers to optimize productivity and costs, improve quality and reduce the environmental footprint.
The program has also empowered over 10,000 women and young farmers through leadership programs and household economic planning training. Additionally, it has enhanced the business skills of 10,000 farmers focusing on financial literacy, record keeping, and entrepreneurship.
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