Skip to main content

Nestlé’s environment-friendly initiatives will make you feel good about your daily cup of coffee

Nestle is making some groundbreaking changes, and we are here for it

a close up of tons of coffee beans
Igor Haritanovich / Pexels

Most of us begin our day with a rich and steamy, piping-hot cup of coffee, without giving much thought to the beans’ journey from the farm into our favorite mug. Sure, we can do our best to shop wisely, and frequent smaller, local, more environmentally friendly purveyors, but it’s hard to do all the time. We can do our best, but at the end of the day, being earth-conscious of every single thing we put in our grocery carts can get pricey and, frankly, inconvenient. That’s why we love it when the big dogs of the grocery world do something right when it comes to the planet. And Nestle’s plan is one we can all get on board with.

Nestle, the world’s largest packaged food company, and owner of the tremendously popular Nestle coffee brand Nespresso, is switching things up when it comes to practices that will help not only their business, but our planet, and the farmers who work tirelessly for those delicious Nescafé coffee beans.

Cup of coffee with beans on table
Mike Kenneally / Unsplash

Last year, the coffee giant announced its Nescafé Plan 2030, which included plans to not only increase farmers’ income, but create better social conditions as well. Nestlé revealed its plan to invest over one billion Swiss francs in the next seven years in an effort to focus on creating more sustainable coffee, emphasizing more environmentally friendly farming practices and incentives for farmers. Working together, Nescafé and coffee farmers in Brazil, Vietnam, Mexico, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia, and Honduras are testing multiple regenerative agriculture practices and their effectiveness on things like reducing greenhouse gas emissions in each individual country.

Recommended Videos

David Rennie, Head of Nestlé Coffee Brands, said at the time, “Climate change is putting coffee-growing areas under pressure. 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.”

Of course, announcing a plan like that is one thing. Whether or not it works is a whole other story. The company recently published the  Nescafé Plan 2030 Progress Report, so you can see exactly how well they’re doing.

  • Last year, trainings on regenerative agricultural practices reached more than 100’000 farmers in 14 countries.
  • 1.4 million trees were planted in and around coffee farms that supply coffee to the company, designers to prevent coffee’s over-exposure to the sun (in addition to creating an additional revenue stream for farmers).
  • Nescafé distributed 23 million disease and drought-resistant, high-yield coffee plantlets in an effort to rejuvenate coffee plots, increase productivity, and reduce the use of agrochemicals.

The company is also piloting financial support schemes designed to help farmers transition to sustainable practices. This includes both conditional cash incentives to encourage and reward regenerative agriculture, as well as weather insurance schemes designed to combat the effect of climate change on farmers. Some 3,000 coffee farmers in Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia and Mexico, are part of this program. (Coffee farmers in these countries typically don’t earn enough for a living income.) The pilots are ongoing, but the company says it’s “seeing encouraging results and strong farmer engagement.”

Yustika Muharastri, monitoring and evaluation manager from the Rainforest Alliance, said, “The Rainforest Alliance works with the Nescafé team to monitor and assess their efforts through the Nescafé Plan. We have observed encouraging trends, including improved incomes in some countries, and increased adoption of important regenerative practices, such as integrated weed and pest management.”

Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…
Buckets of iced coffee are taking over TikTok— here’s what to know before you sip
Massive buckets are iced coffee are trending
Glass of iced coffee topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream, a caramel drizzle, and a straw for sipping.

Are you addicted to iced coffee? I know I am. Yet, even as a huge iced coffee fan, this new TikTok trend took me by surprise. The latest TikTok trend involves literal buckets of iced coffee, served in clear plastic tubs by local coffee shops. Just a quick search on TikTok and you'll find dozens of different videos showcasing these oversized iced coffees in all different flavors. One coffee shop, McGee Black Irish Coffee Company, is even making these delicious buckets with cannoli cold foam cream and a cannoli on top (yes, that sounds delicious).

What is an iced coffee bucket?

Read more
Banana coffee trend: Is banana the next big thing in your coffee cup?
This new coffee trend is inspired by Korean banana milk
banana coffee

This year, bananas are having a moment in coffee — they're nostalgic, naturally sweet, and deliver just the right balance of indulgence and health; it's no wonder the trend has gone viral on TikTok. Like most coffee flavor combinations that once seemed questionable, you'll quickly fall in love with banana coffee once you try it. According to Christopher Anson, business owner at Redcup Beverage Service, the recent banana coffee trend stems from a bigger trend influenced by global cuisines. In Korean culture, banana milk has been a classic since the 70s, inspiring this flavor to spread into global coffee culture through social media.

To get the scoop on the sudden banana coffee trend, I chatted in-depth with Anson to dive into the background of this unique coffee pairing. Christopher Anson owns Redcup Beverage Service, a Colorado-based company providing customized, world-class office coffee, tea, and water solutions.

Read more
Finally, a way to make your coffee low-acid without giving up taste
Enjoy your usual cup of coffee with less acid
Cup of coffee

Low acid coffee is a must for coffee drinkers with sensitive stomachs, says Ashley Loyd, Co-Founder and CEO of Tamer Essentials. After witnessing the life-changing effects of Coffee Tamer on her parents' health, Loyd set out to help coffee drinkers with sensitive stomachs nationwide enjoy their favorite cup of coffee without giving up taste.

Coffee Tamer, made from natural minerals, can turn your favorite cup of coffee into a low-acid coffee without changing its flavor. Loyd says Coffee Tamer has the potential to help millions of coffee lovers manage acid-related discomfort. Here's what she shared about this innovative coffee product.
Low acid coffee with Coffee Tamer

Read more