NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, JULY 16, 2013 — TechnoServe and Nespresso are launching a partnership in East Africa to improve the livelihoods of smallholder coffee farmers while creating a more sustainable source of supply for Nespresso.

The new initiative will focus on three countries: Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan. In Ethiopia and Kenya, the partnership will provide farming and business support to smallholder farmers and help build stronger supply chain linkages. In South Sudan, the effort will focus on helping farmers to rebuild the coffee industry after decades of conflict.

East Africa is the birthplace of coffee and holds the potential to produce some of the best coffee in the world. But farmers are often held back by a combination of low productivity, limited processing capabilities and poor market access. More than half of Africa’s 5 million smallholder coffee farmers live on less than $1 a day.

TechnoServe’s experience has shown that with proper farming, processing and business practices, coffee producers in Africa can dramatically increase their yields, improve the quality of their coffee and raise their incomes while protecting the environment for future generations.

“For many farmers in Africa, coffee represents food, clean water, medicine or the opportunity to send their children to school,” said TechnoServe President and CEO Bruce McNamer. “This partnership will help make coffee a more sustainable economic opportunity for farmers in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan. Nespresso is demonstrating its commitment to creating shared value in coffee-farming communities, and we are proud to be part of the effort.”