Nespresso grinds South Sudan’s beans for good

As the leader in the coffee capsule market, Nespresso is keeping consumers engaged through its development of the bean category. This week it launched the first ever coffee to be exported from the new country of South Sudan. Nespresso says that Sulujati South Sudan is the country’s first significant non-oil export in a generation and represents a positive step towards rebuilding the economy.

The company said this reflects its corporate Creating Shared Value approach to business and its ongoing commitment to coffee farmers in South Sudan. While Sulujati South Sudan will only be available in France due to its extremely limited volumes,Nespresso said it is significant of the long-term investment that the compnay has made to help revive the coffee industry in South Sudan.

South Sudan has a long history of cultivating coffee but the industry has largely been destroyed following conflict in the region. Partnering with local farmers to rebuild this important industry, Nespresso and the non-profit organisation TechnoServe, have been working to revive high quality coffee production in the country since 2011.

This is part of a long term commitment by Nespresso, which has already invested more than CHF 700,000 in reviving the coffee industry in the Yei region of the country. The company aims to have invested CHF 2.5 million in the coming years and to expand the program to include several thousand farmers by 2020.

According to Nespresso CEO, Jean-Marc Duvoisin,“Nespresso’s goal is to source the highest quality coffee in the world. We believe that the only way to continue to deliver quality and consistency to customers is to protect the supply of our coffees. And our experience has shown us that the best way to do this is to build a more environmentally sustainable and financially equitable outcome for farmers. Sulujati South Sudan is an exceptional coffee, and we are very proud of the positive impact this project is having on farmers and their families. Together with the coffee farmers in Yei and TechnoServe we are excited about the potential of this project for economic growth in the region.”

Cradle of coffee

South Sudan is the cradle of coffee and is now one of the only places in the world where coffee still grows in the wild, thriving in a distinct, dry climate. Created solely from Robusta coffee, Sulujati South Sudan has a bold silky texture and intense aromas of dried cereals and subtle woody notes that deliver unique flavours new to our consumers.

Driving Positive Impact

The move into South Sudan, is part of The Positive Cup, a recently launched brand vision, which builds upon the significant steps that Nespresso has already taken over the last five years to improve farmer welfare and drive environmental sustainability in coffee sourcing and consumption.