Nespresso says it plans to expand its coffee sourcing programme into several former conflict zones as part of a US$50 million investment in coffee in Colombia.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos recently addressed the Nespresso Sustainability Advisory Board, and welcomed the company’s commitment. He cited the investment as an important contribution to the development of post-conflict areas.
The pledge builds on Nespresso’s long-term commitment to Colombian coffee and its efforts to improve production in regions previously impacted by the conflict, including reviving the industry in areas where production was lost. It follows Nespresso’s limited-edition Aurora de la Paz (Dawn of Peace), a coffee sourced from the region of Caquetá and launched earlier this year as a symbol of the opportunity that peace presents for coffee farmers.
Early indications suggest that Nespresso will source up to five times more coffee from Caquetá in 2018, as it expands its efforts into areas that were inaccessible before the peace accord.
The extension of the programme will see coffee-sourcing for the first time from San Vicente del Caguán, a community that found itself at the centre of the armed conflict. The region has unique climate, with Arabica coffees grown at a low altitude and low temperatures. Combined with the high humidity, this characterizes the coffee with rich, fruity notes and fine acidity.
