Supply Chain

Nespresso’s 'Reviving Origins' Program Revitalizing Coffee Regions Under Threat

Brand ambassador George Clooney visits farms in Puerto Rico and shines a light on the impact coffee can have on a community.

Published 5 years ago | About a 5 minute read

Image: George Clooney surveys the land on José Arroyo’s coffee farm in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico | Nespresso

This week, Nespresso launched Reviving Origins — a program to help restore high-quality coffee production in coffee-farming regions that are under threat due to political conflict, economic hardship or environmental disaster. The company is committed to working with smallholder farmers to help rebuild strong and resilient coffee industries.

Reviving Origins is grounded in Nespresso's belief that quality coffee presents a strong opportunity for the long-term sustainability and resilience of coffee-farming communities. Together with agronomists and organizations on the ground, including global nonprofits TechnoServe, Fairtrade International, Fair Trade USA and the Rainforest Alliance, the company provides farmers with training and materials to help them grow high-quality coffee, creating shared value and making a positive impact locally. It also offers access to new practices and networks that had not previously existed in the regions. Through this work, Nespresso will give coffee lovers access to some of the world's rarest, highest-quality coffees.

The brand says it will invest 10 million CHF (US$9.8 million) over the next five years to encourage economic development and bolster high-quality coffee production in regions such as Colombia, Zimbabwe and Puerto Rico. The premiere Reviving Origins coffees, Tamuka mu Zimbabwe and Esperanza de Colombia — virtually unknown, rare coffees from eastern Zimbabwe and Caquetá, Colombia, respectively — are available today. The first Reviving Origins coffee from Puerto Rico will be available in limited quantities in September.

"At Nespresso, we firmly believe that quality coffee has the transformative power to bring lasting stability to farmers, their families and their communities," said Guillaume Le Cunff, President and CEO of Nespresso USA. "For decades, we have worked directly with our partners in coffee growing areas across the globe to help build sustainable coffee sectors. We are proud to enter new regions and help farmers replant their land, one coffee tree at a time, and reclaim their future, while bringing new and exciting coffee experiences to U.S. customers."

As part of his 15-year relationship with Nespresso, George Clooney has continued his work with the brand’s sustainability program and supported its work with farmers in many coffee regions; the actor most recently visited Puerto Rico, where in 2018, Nespresso worked with the Hispanic Federation to donate $1 million to help revitalize Puerto Rico’s coffee sector after Hurricanes Irma and Maria destroyed more than 80 percent of the island's coffee harvest and trees. In January of 2019, Clooney toured farms and met with Puerto Rican farmers and their families to discuss coffee as a catalyst for reviving their land.

"Over the 15 years that I've worked with Nespresso, I have seen firsthand the impact of the company's investments on coffee regions around the world and, more importantly, on generations of families," Clooney said. "Nespresso's involvement in local coffee industries means that the rhythm of life can return to normal after conflict, natural disaster or other hardships."

Tamuka Mu Zimbabwe

In the late 1980s, coffee farmers in Zimbabwe produced over 15,000 tons of coffee (according to the USDA), but production almost came to a complete halt due to climate factors and economic instability in the country. By 2017, production levels were lower than 500 tons.

In collaboration with TechnoServe, Nespresso works with the local coffee-farming community in the Manicaland Province in eastern Zimbabwe, to establish sustainable farming practices, bringing in expert trainers and new techniques for coffee processing and tree management. This investment has helped to produce an even higher-quality Arabica coffee: Reviving Origins Tamuka mu Zimbabwe has complex fruitiness and zesty acidity; and a creamy, smooth texture when combined with milk, making it ideal for a Latte Macchiato.

"This project is not only helping to bring back some of the world's best coffee — it is also providing economic opportunities for Zimbabwe's hard-hit rural areas," said William Warshauer, President and CEO of TechnoServe. "As a nonprofit 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."

Esperanza de Colombia

Coffee risked extinction in Caquetá, Colombia, following 50 years of conflict. Since 2017, Nespresso has collaborated with local farmers and the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) to support the rebuilding of the country's industry. Through the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program, the brand's agronomists have provided training in sustainable farming, quality development, and environmental and water management.

The new Reviving Origins Esperanza de Colombia is a mild coffee that is very light in acidity, beautifully balanced and rounded, with aromas of yellow fruits a hint of a cereal note.

"For many years, Nespresso has been a great partner of the FNC in implementing sustainable agricultural practices and improving the quality of coffee in many areas of Colombia. The Caquetá region is no exception," said Juan Esteban Orduz, President of Colombian Coffee Federation, Inc., the North American subsidiary of the FNC. "We have been able to support the livelihoods of our farmers and make a positive social and economic impact on the coffee growing communities of San Vicente del Caguán and Florencia."

Reviving Origins Tamuka mu Zimbabwe and Reviving Origins Esperanza de Colombia are now available for a limited time at Nespresso Boutiques and Nespresso Boutique-in-Shop locations, through the Nespresso Club, and on www.Nespresso.com.

Nespresso coffees are packaged in aluminum, a material that preserves the quality and freshness of the coffee and can be recycled again and again. The company is committed to making recycling as easy as possible and offers customers several ways to recycle: It provides pre-paid UPS recycling bags in 48 states, so that customers can mail back used capsules or deposit them at one of more than 88,000 drop-off locations. Customers can also recycle used capsules at over 500 collection points, located in Nespresso Boutiques and select retail partners across the country.