CorpComms Magazine

Swiss food manufacturer Nestlé has announced that it is to invest CHF 500 million (£321 million) in making its leading coffee brands Nescafé and Nespresso, more sustainable.

Nestlé, which purchases approximately ten per cent of the world's supply of raw coffee, plans to double the amount it buys directly from farmers to 180,000 tonnes over the next five years. The company also pledges to source 90,000 tonnes of Nescafé coffee according to the principles set down by the Rainforest Alliance and Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) by 2020.

Further goals include the distribution of 220 million high-yield, disease-resistant coffee plants to farmers over the next ten years, the expansion of its team of field technicians to 350 and quadrupling the number of agronomists, alongside setting up 300 demonstration farms to disseminate best practice.

Paul Bulcke, chief executive of Nestlé, who announced the plan in Mexico City, said: 'We are proud that Nescafé, the world's leading coffee brand, gives its name to this global initiative which creates value across the supply chain, from farmers to consumers, to us. 

'Creating Shared Value is an integral part of our business strategy. For a company to be successful in the long term, it needs to create value at the same time for its shareholders and the communities in which it operates.'

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