It all started with a creative way to save surplus coffee

From the very start, NESCAFÉ was invented in 1938 as a creative solution to the problem of what to do with unsold coffee, while meeting new consumer needs. As a matter of fact, following the Wall Street Crash, coffee prices collapsed and there were a lot of coffee beans sitting in warehouses in Brazil.

In order to prevent wasteful periods in the future, and to better align supply with demand for what became an instant global hit, we worked closely with coffee growers to ensure that we got this right. This productive relationship with coffee farmers has been at the heart of NESCAFÉ throughout its history.

In 1962, we employed our first agronomist, an expert in the science and technology of farming, to help farmers produce the best possible yields. Now we have 250 agronomists working in over 10 coffee-producing countries around the world – more than anyone else.

Along the way, scientists have learned how to grow healthier, disease-resistant coffee trees that bear more coffee cherries at our industry-leading coffee agricultural R&D centre in Tours, France. To make sure the plantlets thrive in local conditions, we´ve built demo centres, which also serve to showcase best farming practices. As part of our global initiative, the NESCAFÉ Plan, we´ve promised to distribute 220 million disease-resistant plantlets to coffee farmers by 2020.

Recognising the need for effective collaboration, we were a founder member of the Common Code for the Coffee Community, which sets high standards for coffee production. We also partner with the Rainforest Alliance and the Sustainable Agriculture Network.

Our efforts are already paying off. By working with partners and through our initiatives, we’ve seen farmers rediscover their passion for growing coffee. Younger generations are getting re-engaged with coffee growing, some who were once planning to leave for new industries and big cities are staying on farms, with new-found enthusiasm for the family business.

This leads to a much more secure supply of quality coffee; which is crucial for the farmers, crucial for our business, and crucial for the billions of people on the planet who enjoy our coffee.

We want to be the most environmentally and socially responsible coffee company. And above all, we want the world to keep on enjoying the benefits of a great cup of NESCAFÉ.

Introducing the NESCAFÉ Plan and NESCAFÉ Farmer Connect

As the world’s favourite coffee brand, we want to make sure that the future is bright for coffee, both for those that like to drink it and those that grow it. We value and respect our coffee farmers and we want to see them succeed in their coffee farming businesses. This is what drives the NESCAFÉ Plan. As a result, we made a commitment to invest £213 million in coffee projects worldwide between 2010 to 2020; as part of a larger, ongoing investment to help support the long-term sustainability of coffee supply.

Making sure there’s coffee in the future isn’t simply about helping coffee farmers grow more coffee in the short term. It’s about making coffee farming a job people can be proud of and that their sons and daughters will want to continue. It’s about running large-scale projects to teach and train over 10,000 coffee farmers a year on sustainable farming methods that will give them better yields and higher income.It’s about replacing weak or unhealthy coffee plants with stronger more robust varieties that are best suited to the region in which they are farmed. It’s about a genuine long-term commitment to help.

While our global commitment, the NESCAFE Plan, started in 2010, we’ve actually been helping farmers for decades through our NESCAFÉ Farmer Connect programme. This is our regionalised programme in coffee producing markets to buy coffee beans directly from farmers, cutting out middle-men traders and empowering farmers to improve their income. In 2014 alone, NESCAFE sourced over 185,000 tonnes directly via NESCAFÉ Farmer Connect, from 170,000 farmers.

We don’t just buy coffee from farmers. We help them grow their businesses and in doing so, we help to ensure that NESCAFÉ remains available and affordable for coffee lovers. Being a global leader brings not only a duty to operate responsibly, but also an opportunity to create long-term positive value for society – we call this Creating Shared Value.

Creating Shared Value is not philanthropy or an add-on, but a fundamental part of our business strategy. As part of our responsibility as a global business, and in recognising the challenges we all face (i.e. resource scarcity, climate change, increased pressure for land & water use), we are actively working to identify new and innovative solutions to address these challenges. Visit www.nestlé.com/csv to learn more.

By working with various partners, the NESCAFÉ Plan promotes responsible farming in four main ways:

• Enhancing direct procurement - We purchase green coffee locally to help us develop local supplies for our factories and to work with growers to make improvements at a farm level. In 2014, NESCAFÉ sourced 186,570 tonnes of coffee directly from farmers, which exceeded our target of 180,000 tonnes by the end of 2015.

• Training farmers - We are committed to training farmers on the techniques and guidelines that comprise our Nestlé Better Farming Practices.  In 2014 alone we trained over 130,000 coffee farmers in best farming practices.

• Providing local assistance - We are helping farmers to build a more robust business – offering efficient routes to market, local training, plant propagation and distribution, and technical assistance through our team of 250 agronomists.

• Providing high yield, disease resistant coffee trees - We’re investing in improving coffee trees through plant science research carried out largely through our R&D Centre in France. We aim at providing 220 million high yield and disease resistant coffee trees to farmers by 2020. This is key to improving quality and yields, so that farmers see coffee growing as an attractive, viable means of earning a living, ensuring a long-term supply of the right quantity and quality of green coffee. In 2014, we have distributed 29.8 million high-yield, disease-resistant coffee plantlets to farmers; taking our cumulative total to 73.8 million.

Other measures comprise setting up new microfinance schemes for farmers and developing even more community projects focused on improving education, public health and water supply in our coffee growing regions.

Our Aim

As part of our biodiversity programme, at Nestlé we have been working closely with the Wildlife Trust and Butterfly Conversation groups to help create Butterfly meadows and lessen the decline of butterflies in the UK. A survey has been done at each factory to identify the right local plants and grasses for butterflies in the area.

Our achievement

Discover more through this video

Case study: Planting the Butterfly Meadow in Tutbury factory

Pupils in Year 6 at Heath Fields School in Hatton were visited by employees from Nestlé to learn all about the importance of butterflies and shown the types of butterfly species that are present in the area and the species Nestlé hope to attract with their help.

After donning waterproofs and wellies, the group of 27 children were taken to a field in the factory grounds where they sowed meadow flower seeds and planted wildflowers. They also helped to plant six willow trees and an oak tree with the aim of attracting many species of butterfly back to the area as part of Nestlé’s vision to be recognised for leadership in environmental sustainability.

Gavin Burton, Nestlé Tutbury Factory Manager said: “It is great that local school children joined us to plant the meadow.  Currently there are only a few butterfly species in the area but with the support of our employees and Heath Fields School who have helped; our objective is to have more than 12 varieties on-site.“

NESCAFÉ and the Rainforest Alliance

The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organisation (NGO) that works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use, business practices and consumer behaviour. We have been working together for more than a decade on coffee farms to train thousands of farmers a year in sustainable farming techniques, equipping them for a brighter future.

Sustainable Agriculture Network

The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) is a group of international non-profit organisations working for the conservation of biodiversity and rural development. The SAN promotes productive and efficient agricultural systems, biodiversity conservation and more sustainable human development through the application of our Sustainable Agriculture Standards, which include social, environmental and productive aspects.

Working together with Rainforest Alliance and SAN

Under the NESCAFÉ Plan, experienced agricultural specialists from the Rainforest Alliance, SAN and NESCAFÉ are working together, blending modern science with the traditional wisdom of farmers to give them new tools. With these tools, the farmers are ready to conserve natural resources, protect ecosystems, ensure rights and benefits to workers, increase yields, control costs, and improve quality and diversify.

4C – Common Code for the Coffee Community

NESCAFÉ is one of the founding members of 4C, the Common Code for the Coffee Community. The association aims to help coffee companies and organisations work together to improve economic, social and environmental conditions in coffee production. And it has defined a code of conduct that consists of 27 economic, social and environmental principles for the sustainable production, processing and trading of green coffee. Members of 4C are encouraged to engage in sustainable agriculture in order to build a thriving coffee economy for future generations.

How it works

Coffee farmers are impacted by fluctuating coffee prices and this makes it harder for them to invest in the next year’s crop. If we can help them attain higher efficiency, cost reductions and quality improvements then they are less affected by these fluctuations. At the same time, we can also promote sustainable agriculture practices by encouraging farmers to avoid pollution, improve pesticides use and conserve water.

The 4C Association has developed a credible and efficient verification system. With a traffic light system of red, yellow and green, and coffee farmers can easily identify areas where they are already on track, and other areas which require more work. They self-monitor their progress and can see for themselves how they are improving. Independent third-party verifiers carry out a system of random inspections to ensure accuracy. Another aspect that is important for coffee farmers is training. Farmers clearly benefit from knowing how to apply the most recent responsible agriculture development techniques.

Our contribution

At NESCAFÉ, we offer guidance to our network of farmers and suppliers on sustainable agriculture practices from the production, processing and trading of green coffee, to how the raw material used by roasters to produce the final beverage is managed. This involves a support network in which coffee companies and research organisations cooperate to help farmers. Members of the association who buy responsibly sourced coffee are committed to increasing the supply of sustainable coffee.

For more information visit www.4c-coffeeassociation.org

The situation

Once coffee trees get past a certain age, the amount of beans they produce significantly decreases and they become vulnerable to disease. In particular, a disease called leaf rust has been affecting coffee farms across Colombia in recent years, severely impacting the quality and productivity of those coffee trees. That’s why NESCAFÉ is working in Colombia with the Colombian Coffee growers Federation (FNC) to improve coffee growers’ lives and help them grow great quality coffee, while having a better income and adopting more responsible practices.

Our contribution

Together with the FNC, since 2010, NESCAFÉ has been helping Colombian coffee farmers in 2 ways:

1.     By providing high yield disease resistant coffee free of charge

We have provided 28 million new high-yield, leaf rust resistant trees to Colombian farmers, free of charge and with no obligation for the farmers to sell their coffee back to NESCAFÉ. These trees, grown from seed in local nurseries, are more productive, helping the farmers’ income and future security, whilst ensuring you continue to get the great taste of NESCAFÉ. Overall, more than 4,400 hectares of coffee field have been renovated with rust-resistant trees.

2.     By providing training, equipment and support

Nestlé has also provided training, equipment and support. Since 2010, we have provided training to over 13,000 Colombian coffee farmers in good agricultural practices adopting the 4C Code. The training comprises management and conservation of water and soil resources, as well as proper use of organic matter and agrochemicals and safe management of waste. This helps farmers sustain better agricultural practices.

In 2014, NESCAFÉ UK celebrated the First Harvest of the trees we provided to farmers when we launched a Limited Edition pack called NESCAFÉ Gold Blend First Harvest.

The situation

The NESCAFÉ Plan was launched in Vietnam in 2011. The goal was to improve the quality and where needed, the yield of the Vietnamese Robusta beans, as this will improve the income of the local coffee growers in their communities.

Vietnam is 2nd largest producer of coffee in the world but has severe water scarcity issues, not only for agricultural use, but also domestic use. Therefore NESCAFÉ is helping to improve water management.

Our contribution

Together with the Rainforest Alliance, Nestlé teams have developed the NESCAFÉ Better Farming Practices (NBFP). As water is a key aspect of sustainable agriculture, NESCAFÉ Better Farming Practices provide guidelines to put water conservation into practice, targeting:

• The reduction of water that is being used through irrigation at the coffee farms level

• The preservation of natural water resources

And working with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), NESCAFÉ is also helping to teach more of Vietnamese coffee farmers beyond its network about good agricultural practices including water management.

The NESCAFÉ Plan in Vietnam

The support provided is part of the bigger NESCAFÉ Plan program, introduced in 2011, which creates value across the coffee supply chain, from farmers right through to consumers.

Nestlé‘s initiatives in Vietnam comprise transfer of knowledge and experience on:

• Sustainable coffee production and processing

• Farmer training within communities on good agricultural practices

• Distribution of coffee plantlets

• Methodology for planting as well as grafting knowledge

• Cost management

The situation

Whilst there are women in Kenya who are active in the farming cycle, they are not always given the opportunity to be empowered within the communities.

Recognising this challenge, Nestlé and Coffee Management Services (CMS) Ltd. launched within the Nescafé Plan a lighthouse initiative “Nestlé gender youth”, targeting women and youth in farming.

Our contribution

A selection of women from each co-op have been identified and trained to become ‘promoter farmers’, to take the knowledge and skills they’ve acquired back to their communities to educate their peers. Results have shown a significant number of women coming forward to join coffee farming.

The training modules offered to women farmers are:

• Coffee production (e.g. farm establishment, pruning)
• Cooperative leadership (e.g. Financial literacy, management)
• Coffee certification (e.g.4C, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance)
• Building confidence (e.g. CV writing)
• Education for health and better wellbeing (e.g. HIV and AIDS awareness)

Over the past three years, the training provided to the women has proven successful as 159 women promoters have seen their coffee yield increasing by an average of 83%. This was also supported by the distribution of mature elite variety “Batian” coffee trees to farmers in Kenya.

The NESCAFÉ Plan in Kenya

This lighthouse initiative is part of Phase 1 of the overall partnership launched under the NESCAFÉ Plan and CMS in 2011. The aim of the NESCAFÉ Plan in Kenya is to reduce rural poverty and improve social & economic status of farmers through encouraging farming and agricultural sustainability, targeting over 27,000 farmers through nine cooperatives.

In the first half of 2015, Nestlé together with CMS launched phase 2 of the Nescafé Plan in Kenya, which incorporates the same activities as Phase 1, including an additional five Farmer cooperative societies reaching 14,000 farmers rolling out our plan to an even bigger audience.

Climate change is one of the major challenges our world faces. Without action, scientists warn that temperatures will coninue to rise and extreme weather conditions will become more frequent.

We are determined to play our part in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by improving resource efficiency.We have set ourselves a target in the UK of reducing our carbon emissions* by 40% between 2006 and 2020, and the initiatives we are taking in our beverages factories contribute actively to the achievement of this goal.

_{*This refers to direct and indirect CO2 emissions.}

Tutbury factory

Tutbury factory has been continuously working on energy efficiency over the past few years and has achieved a reduction of 40% in energy consumption, 58% in water use and 51% in waste per tonne of product between 2010 and 2014. These savings have been achieved through various projects, such as replacing old equipment with newer, more energy efficient equipment.

Since early 2015, Tutbury factory has expanded following a £350m investment, making it the home of NESCAFÉ GOLD Blend products. For the first time in the UK all forms of coffee production including freeze dried, spray dried and pod technology, are brought together on one site.

As well as welcoming new products, part of the investment includes new technologies that are energy & water efficient. Since February, the technology for the new lines is using over 50% less water and energy than previous technologies; while further improvements in energy efficiency are due to come as the factory becomes fully operational.

Dalston factory

As part of our commitments to further improve energy efficiency, the Dalston factory, home of the NESCAFE CAFÉ Menu products, has put in place Environmental Target Setting (ETS). ETS aims at optimising energy and water consumption rates to ensure we are being as efficient as possible, and helps to identify areas for investment and improvement.

In 2012, we have invested £2.9 million in new high efficiency air heaters to replace old equipment. This helped us to increase our production capacity while reducing the gas consumption by 30% in 2013, therefore reducing the local impact to the community from combustion emissions.

As part of the NESCAFÉ Plan, we also look to further improve our environmental performance by reducing waste within our production processes. The aim is simple: to reduce our waste by preventing it from happening, minimising it and diverting it from landfill so it has a value elsewhere.

For example:

• Reuse (eg IT equipment)
• Recycle (eg cardboard, plastic & glass)
• Recover (eg coffee grounds waste being used as renewable source of fuel)
• Some materials at the factory are deemed “compliance waste” which means that they can only be “disposed of” as it is not always possible to find another safe use for them.

Our achievement

Our UK beverages factories that produce NESCAFÉ products (at Dalston and Tutbury) have been externally verified as sending zero production waste to landfill.  This means that we avoid sending our waste to landfill by actively using the waste hierarchy (Reuse, Recycle, Recover) and finding other uses for it.

Our Dalston factory in Cumbria that produces NESCAFÉ CAFÉ Menu products was the first to reach “zero waste to landfill” status in 2010, followed by Tutbury in 2012.

At Tutbury, the zero waste approach includes dedicating an area to each of the factory’s 25 waste streams so that materials can be carefully observed and segregated. Waste from contractors on the site is managed in the same way, providing a uniform approach across the site and the factory carries out regular auditing of suppliers to ensure compliance with waste management legislation.

The future

We are looking to implement new actions related to the waste hierarchy, to improve the amount of waste we have on site.

At NESCAFÉ, the packaging of our products is crucial to prevent food waste and we aim at optimising the weight and volume of our packaging.

We strive to develop safe and wholesome packaged foods using the most efficient, appropriate and responsibly sourced packaging materials. At the same time, we want to satisfy consumer requirements and expectations.

Our contribution

Since the early 1990s, we have been reducing the amount of packaging we use through our Global Source Reduction Programme and in the UK & Ireland we are always looking at ways to further reduce the amount of packaging used. Find out more about the Global Source Reduction Programme at www.nescafe.com

Case Study: NESCAFÉ CAFÉ Menu Cappuccino packs – 14% fewer lorries

In the UK, we have recently improved our NESCAFÉ CAFÉ MENU CAPPUCCINO* packs, which save 21% of carton compared to our previous packs. We can now fit more packs onto one pallet. That means 14% fewer lorries on the road, per tonne of coffee distributed.

While the pack size has been reduced, your NESCAFÉ CAFÉ MENU Cappuccino still contains the exact same 10 sachets of the white, milky, frothy coffee

^{* This refers to all NESCAFÉ CAFÉ MENU CAPPUCCINO: Cappuccino, Cappuccino Unsweetened taste, Cappuccino Decaff, Cappuccino Decaff Unsweetened taste, Cappuccino Skinny and Cappuccino strong.}

Work with local associations and schools

The Tutbury factory and local association, Youth of Hatton have now been working together for 2 consecutive years to provide a giant Easter Egg hunt for their local community. Each year the factory supplies around 250 Easter eggs to the event which is held in the adjacent Thistley meadow. In 2015 the event welcomed over 300 people and alongside the Easter Egg Hunt hosted various activities including outdoor games.

Educating future generations about water

As part of the global project WET, Dalston factory has worked with local schools and has supported our creating shared value business strategy by visiting local primary and secondary schools to deliver water education. This involves a series of interactive workshops highlighting water scarcity and the importance of hydration. Up to now, 150 children and teachers have been involved with this programme with the Dalston factory. Find out more about project WET at: www.projectwet.org

The right quantity of coffee

At NESCAFÉ we recommend you prepare the right quantity of coffee, to avoid any waste.

Boil your Kettle efficiently, for you and the environment!

How many times have we filled the kettle right to the top when we’re only making one cup of coffee? The next time you switch the kettle on, only boil as much water as you need, whilst ensuring that you have completely covered the kettle element for safety reasons.

Top up your glass jar!

At NESCAFÉ we recommend you use our NESCAFÉ Refills to top up your jar – Using a refill pack will save on the production of a new glass jar as well as transportation for this jar.

Efficient washing

When washing your coffee cup ensure you completely fill the dishwasher or if washing by hand try not to use more hot water than is required.