Nespresso seeks to revive Mozambique’s coffee industry

Swiss company aims to promote sustainable farming practices and agroforestry, while improving farmers’ livelihoods through capacity and skills building

As part of its Reviving Origins programme, Nespresso has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park to promote the local coffee industry. The Swiss company will support coffee farmers in the park with a view to increasing the quality of their coffee, promoting sustainable farming practices and agroforestry, and improving farmer’s livelihoods through capacity and skills building.

Nespresso aims to make the coffee available to consumers as a limited edition from 2022. Jean-Marc Duvoisin, the company’s CEO says the aim of the project is to revive coffee production in Mozambique, simultaneously increasing economic opportunities in the region while giving Nespresso consumers a unique coffee experience.

The Gorongosa National Park, established 25 years ago by the Government of Mozambique in association with the Carr Foundation, has been working for the last decade on implementing a programme called Gorongosa Coffee, dedicated to creating employment for smallholder farmers and promoting rainforest reforestation in the formerly war-torn region.

Since 2015, local farmers have been encouraged to plant coffee seedlings on the slopes of Mount Gorongosa.

“The collaboration with Nespresso will help the Gorongosa Coffee programme to achieve its ambition to dedicate 1 000 ha to high quality, shade grown Arabica coffee, translating to over 5 000 ha of protected and restored rainforest and sustainable livelihoods for over 2 500 families,” says Matthew Jordan, a spokesman for the Gorongosa National Park.

Through its Reviving Origins initiative, Nespresso aims to re-establish coffee industries in selected countries with a view to encouraging rural economic development. Coffees already launched include Tamuka Mu Zimbabwe, Esperanza de Colombia and Cafecito de Puerto Rico.