How Nestlé through its NESCAFÉ business is impacting the livelihoods of thousands of farmers in West Africa

The story of your NESCAFÉ begins long before it reaches your cup. The tiny coffee bean, which is dried, roasted and ground into the powder that you brew for your coffee, is deeply rooted in West Africa, touching many lives.

From Africa, for Africa

Did you know that the NESCAFÉ we drink in Central and West Africa region is truly indigenous? Every year, Nestlé sources over 15,000MT of coffee from Cote d’Ivoire. This coffee is processed into the NESCAFÉ that thousands of people enjoy every day.

Growing together

Nestlé through its NESCAFÉ business, impacts the livelihoods of thousands of farmers in the region. The NESCAFÉ Global Plan is committed to sourcing coffee beans for Nestlé responsibly, through sustainability programs. Under the Plan in our region, Nestlé teaches coffee farmers how to grow coffee in a way that protects the environment. Nestlé has also reached over 13,000 farmers across the region, through Agripreneurship programs.

In addition to the earnings farmers make for their produce, they receive premium payments from Nestlé. Fatih Ermis, Head of Agricultural Services, Nestlé Central and West Africa, highlights how impactful this is to farmers, “This premium allows farmers to have better livelihoods by earning additional income. Last year, Nestlé paid more than $865,000 in premiums to coffee farmers across the region. We are continuing in this vein this year, with a little over $841,000 paid to our coffee farmers, from January 2019 to date.”

Entrepreneurship Opportunities

“My Own Business” (MyOwBu) is a Nestlé initiative committed to creating jobs and enabling entrepreneurship. Under this scheme, Nestlé teaches young people how to manage their own micro-enterprise. The company also gives them training on sales, management, hygiene, safety and quality standards. This has a domino effect because these youth, now equipped with skills are encouraged to and often employ up to 10 other street vendors.

More than 4,000 youth across the region have benefitted from this entrepreneurial opportunity. With this financial empowerment, they are on the right path to financial independence. Rabie Issa, Business Executive Officer of Nestlé Professional, an out-of-home service of Nestlé, remarks, “My proudest moments on the job are when I see how the lives of these vendors are transformed for the better.”

Caring for the Planet

The NESCAFÉ factory, for the third consecutive time this year, won the Eco-Citizen prize at the National Excellence Awards in Cote d’Ivoire. The factory was recognized for releasing only purified water into the environment and for none of its waste ending up in landfills. With our communities at heart, our coffee business upholds Nestlé’s worldwide commitment to protecting and safeguarding the environment and resources.

So the next time you lift your cup of coffee, smile along and relish the impact you are making by enjoying NESCAFÉ!