Coffee giant Nespresso has announced a long-term investment plan to help revive Zimbabwe’s coffee industry and stimulate the country's rural economy.
Over the next five years, the company will provide training and technical assistance to 400 smallholder coffee farmers, with the goal of increasing the country’s output of quality, sustainable coffee.
Nespresso has said that it expects to buy more than 95% of the high-quality coffee produced by Zimbabwean smallholders this season.
The coffee will be available to global consumers in 2019.
Sustainable Farming Practices
Nespresso has collaborated with TechnoServe, an international non-profit organisation, to help farmers to revive production through climate-smart, sustainable farming practices.
Jean-Marc Duvoisin, CEO of Nespresso said, ”We are investing in reviving coffee farming in different regions of the world, where adverse conditions have impacted the lives of farmers and their ability to grow and nurture their coffee industries.
“Zimbabwe has a long history of producing beautiful coffees and we are pleased to be working with farmers through our AAA Sustainable Quality Program to help bring this industry back to life.”
Nespresso has also started working with farmers for the next harvest. It expects volumes to increase, resulting in a potential turning point for Zimbabwe’s coffee producers.
In the past 18 years, there has been a sharp decline in coffee production in Zimbabwe.
The decline has been attributed to a series of economic shocks experienced by Zimbabwe’s agricultural industries.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
