On May 21, 2019, Nespresso announced the launch of Reviving Origins, a program to help revitalize coffee-producing rural regions.
The program is based on restoring high-quality coffee production in coffee farming regions that are under threat due to political conflict, economic hardship or environmental disaster.
George Clooney surveys the land on José Arroyo’s coffee farm in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, as part of the Nespresso Reviving Origins program. The initiative works with farmers to help rebuild high-quality coffee production that has been threatened by natural disaster or conflict.
The company is committed to working with smallholder farmers to help rebuild strong and resilient coffee industries. As part of his fifteen-year relationship with the brand, George Clooney has championed the Nespresso sustainability program and has supported its work with farmers in many coffee regions, travelling most recently to Puerto Rico as part of the Reviving Origins program.
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 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.
The brand has committed to investing 10 million CHF ($9.8 million USD) 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, from eastern Zimbabwe and Caquetá, Colombia—-virtually unknown, rare coffees—are available today. The first Reviving Origins coffee from Puerto Rico will be available in limited quantities in September of this year.
“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.”
In 2018, Nespresso worked with the Hispanic Federation to donate $1 million to help revitalize the coffee sector in Puerto Rico 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 farmers and their families in Puerto Rico to discuss coffee as 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,” said Clooney. “Nespresso’s involvement in local coffee industries means that the rhythm of life can return to normal after conflict, natural disaster or other hardships.”
REVIVING ORIGINS TAMUKA MU ZIMBABWE
In the late 1980s, Zimbabwean coffee farmers produced over 15,000 tons of coffee (according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture), but production almost came to a complete halt as a result of climate factors and economic instability in the country. By 2017, production levels were lower than 500 tons.
In collaboration with the global non-profit TechnoServe, Nespresso works with the local coffee farming community in the Manicaland Province, located 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.
“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 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.”
Reviving Origins Tamuka mu Zimbabwe has complex fruitiness and zesty acidity, with notes from cranberry to red berries, and currant to grape.
REVIVING ORIGINS 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 and expertise on sustainable farming, quality development, and environmental and water management.
“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 Colombian Coffee Growers Federation. “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 Esperanza de Colombia is a mild coffee that is very light in acidity. It is balanced and rounded, and has aromas of yellow fruits, with a hint of a cereal note.
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, which are located in Nespresso Boutiques and select retail partners across the country.
Photos courtesy of Nespresso.