Nespresso investing US$20M in Democratic Republic of Congo to revive specialty coffee by 2026; investment will cover coffee purchases, price premiums, technical assistance, community projects, support to help coffee farmers access global markets

Nespresso is investing USD 20 million in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to revive specialty coffee by 2026. This investment will cover coffee purchases, price premiums, technical assistance, community projects as well as support to help coffee farmers access global markets. Nespresso's ambition is also to help raise an additional USD 20 million to support coffee-growing communities in Kivu in the DRC. This initiative is part of the Nespresso Reviving Origins program, created 10 years ago, that aims to restore coffee production in regions where it is under threat.

Guillaume Le Cunff, CEO Nespresso, said: "Kivu has the potential to be among the world's great coffee regions, but has faced extremely challenging conditions in recent years. Through our Reviving Origins program, we work closely with Congolese farmers. We have joined forces with several partners, including the Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI)/ASILI, TechnoServe, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), The Global Environment Facility (GEF), Clarmondial, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Virunga Coffee, to restore and revitalize Kivu as a leading source of high-quality, exceptional Arabica coffee."

In 1980, coffee was the second most important export for the DRC, and coffee from this country ranked among the world's finest. However, supply declined in the early 2000s due to years of instability that had a devastating impact on the industry. The 2020 launch of the Nespresso Reviving Origins program in the DRC has helped revive coffee production in the Lake Kivu region.

TechnoServe CEO, William Warshauer, said: "Nespresso's deep commitment to Kivu is creating lasting change in communities across the region. In our work together to equip farmers with the knowledge and market connections they need to thrive, we have seen the transformative impact that coffee can have in Kivu. We believe this initiative will help inspire other companies to invest there."

Abraham Leno, Executive Director of the Eastern Congo Initiative, said: "Since we started working together, we have built a large health center and an entire water system in the farming community of Minova. Today, our medical team safely delivers babies and gets hundreds of kids ready for school. More than 22 000 people from the local community have access to clean water, and as displacement soars, we are a primary source of water for thousands of families fleeing violence. With the continued support from Nespresso, we aim to continue this work, expanding dignified and sustainable access to clean water and healthcare."

Nespresso's sustainable coffee sourcing program, the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality^TM Program, provides the foundation for the work in the Reviving Origins program. For 20 years, the AAA Program has built strong relationships with coffee farmers across the world to protect nature and life in landscapes where coffee is grown and to strengthen communities' resilience. Nespresso will further deploy the AAA Program in the DRC and support farmers there in implementing regenerative practices, such as crop diversification, stumping, soil health improvement and agroforestry. Via the AAA Program, Nespresso will also implement a biodiversity tracking tool using DRC unique birdlife.