The brand is investing over one billion Swiss francs by 2030 in the NESCAFÉ Plan 2030. This investment builds on the existing NESCAFÉ Plan as the brand expands its sustainability work. It is supported by Nestlé's regenerative agriculture financing following the Group's commitment to accelerate the transition to a regenerative food system and ambition to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions.

“Climate change is putting coffee-growing areas under pressure,” said David Rennie, Head of Nestlé Coffee Brands. “Building on 10 years’ experience of the NESCAFÉ Plan, we’re accelerating our work to help tackle climate change and address social and economic challenges in the NESCAFÉ value chains.”

Rising temperatures will reduce the area suitable for growing coffee by up to 50 percent by 2050. At the same time, around 125 million people depend on coffee for their livelihoods and an estimated 80 percent of coffee-farming families live at or below the poverty line. Action is needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of coffee.

“As the world’s leading coffee brand, NESCAFÉ aims to have a real impact on coffee farming globally,” said Philipp Navratil, Head of Nestlé’s Coffee Strategic Business Unit. “We want coffee farmers to thrive as much as we want coffee to have a positive impact on the environment. Our actions can help drive change throughout the coffee industry.”

Regenerative coffee farming

Regenerative agriculture is an approach to farming that aims to improve soil health and fertility – as well as protect water resources and biodiversity. Healthier soils are more resilient to the impacts of climate change and can increase yields, helping improve farmers’ livelihoods.

NESCAFÉ will provide farmers with training, technical assistance and high-yielding coffee plantlets to help them transition to regenerative coffee farming practices.

Focusing on origins

NESCAFÉ will be working with coffee farmers to test, learn and assess the effectiveness of multiple regenerative agriculture practices. This will be done with a focus on seven key origins, from where the brand sources 90 percent of its coffee: Vietnam, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia and Honduras.

Piloting a financial support scheme

NESCAFÉ is committed to supporting farmers who take on the risks and costs associated with the move to regenerative agriculture. It will provide programs that aim to help farmers improve their income as a result of that transition. In Mexico, Côte d’Ivoire and Indonesia, NESCAFÉ will pilot a financial support scheme to help farmers accelerate the transition to regenerative agriculture. Through this scheme, NESCAFÉ, together with coffee farmers, will test and learn the best approach in each country.

NESCAFÉ will track the progress and assess the results of its field programs with coffee farmers through its Monitoring and Evaluation partnership with the Rainforest Alliance. Its efforts will be complemented by new and expertise-focused partnerships, like the one with Sustainable Food Lab for topics related to coffee farmers’ income assessment, strategy and progress tracking.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Regenerative agriculture also contributes to drawing down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. That’s why regenerative agriculture is a key part of Nestlé’s Zero Net roadmap. NESCAFÉ aims to contribute to Nestlé’s Zero Net commitment to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reach zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It will work with farmers, suppliers and partners to help protect agricultural lands, enhance biodiversity and help prevent deforestation. The brand intends to help farmers plant more than 20 million trees at or near their coffee farms.

In Vietnam, since 2011, Nestlé Vietnam has cooperated with the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, the Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute, and Provincial Agricultural Extension Centers to support coffee farmers through the NESCAFÉ Plan in the transition journey. Over the last decade, the program has achieved significant positive socioeconomic and environmental impacts.