The Secret To Growing Great Coffee in Ethiopia

Nespresso believes that quality does not happen by chance, but by choice. And as a business, sustainability and the search for the highest quality coffee has always been at the heart of what they do. Nespresso have made very deliberate choices throughout its history to deliver coffee lovers around the world the best quality roast and ground coffee in every cup.

The story began in 2003, when Nespresso introduced its AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program to ensure it had access to the best coffee from the world’s most renowned coffee farming regions, while protecting the environment and improving the standard of living for farmers and their families.

While the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program started with a focus on quality and environmental issues, it has become more aware of pertinent social sustainability issues in coffee sourcing countries and, specifically, gender imbalance in the coffee industry.

Nespresso believe advancing gender equality is a key driver for coffee sustainability and could have significant impact on coffee quality and productivity. So, to challenge the issue, by working closely with local communities in Ethiopia and Kenya through the AAA Program, Nespresso began creating tailored recruitment initiatives for women.

As a result of the work so far, Nespresso have already seen a drop in the gender imbalance. Already, women represent 31% of all agronomists working with coffee farmers worldwide through the Nespresso AAA Program (compared to 15% global average, according to World Bank estimates).

And its women like Hundatu Ayana who are making a big difference. A coffee agronomist in her home country of Ethiopia, she was struggling to persuade coffee farmers to give up their traditional ways of managing crops.

Undeterred, Hundatu, 31, continued riding from farm to farm showing farmers best farming practices, hoping they would listen.

She demonstrated how to cut back old coffee trees, so they would rejuvenate, discussed such things as soil management and composting, and even taught them business skills.

The farmers are glad she persisted – since they adopted the modern farming methods Hundatu taught them their incomes have shot up. Some have been able to send their children to school, while others have bought motorbikes, cars and even houses.

As well as helping to improve gender imbalance in the traditionally male-dominated coffee industry, many of these women are supporting their families financially, and act as role models to other girls and women.

Nespresso’s AAA Sustainable Quality Program

Through this program, Nespresso works directly with farmers to create sustainable coffee farming practices that improve quality, farmers’ productivity and the viability of their farms. The result of this work is the highest quality coffee encapsulated in a recyclable aluminium capsule to preserve quality and freshness. There are 24 permanent coffees in Nespresso’s range, each boasting a different origin, flavour and intensity to suit every preference.

Additional Information

In New Zealand, Nespresso operates a national recycling program, as part of its long-standing commitment to sustainability to ensure as many used aluminium capsules are recycled as possible. There are currently three ways of recycling used Nespresso aluminium capsules in New Zealand.