- What really decides the quality of green coffee?
- How does Nespresso select the green coffee beans they buy?
- What kind of coffees does Nespresso buy?
- What makes Specialty or Gourmet coffees so special?
- What does this mean in terms of the price Nespresso pays for its coffee?
- Nowadays one hears a lot about sustainability - what does it stand for?
- What does Nespresso do in terms of sustainable development?
- What’s special about the Nespresso AAA SUSTAINABLE QUALITY Program?
- What impact does the program have on farmers?
- Who has developed this program?
- How does Nespresso make sure it works with the right coffee farmers?
What really decides the quality of green coffee?
Coffee qualities vary according to where they are grown. Nespresso coffee experts look for particular taste and aromatic qualities in every bean, to combine these attributes into one of their Grands Crus blends. Differing soil type, climate, and altitudes determine the regional quality characteristics of a coffee bean; for example, the rich peaty soils and lush rainforests of Java deliver a soft, large bean bursting with body; whereas the volcanic soils of Colombia give the bean more fruity, flowery overtones. Coffee grown at higher altitudes (above 1,400 m), where night and day temperature variations are more extreme, will further influ-ence the quality of Nespresso’s preferred harvests. Secondly, but by no means less important, careful harvesting of coffee cherries only when they’re ripe is very important. Coffee ripens four different times on a single tree each year. Hand picking is therefore the only way a choice can be made between red cherries ready to be harvested, and the green cherries yet to ripen. Of course, quality control of Nespresso coffee quality continues inces-santly during the coffee cleaning process (soft cherry hulls washed off the bean), drying (where the beans are laid out in the sun), and before shipment - the final “in-country” quality check.
How does Nespresso select the green coffee beans they buy?
Nespresso coffee buyers engage in exhaustive tasting of samples. This involves “cupping” sessions by expert panels, who are supported by tailor-made software to help them evaluate each coffee quality and ensure that the green coffee matches the exact aromatic profiles every time. The green coffee samples are roasted before being infused with water for cupping. Then many of the roasted samples that make the grade are specially filled into Nespresso cap-sules and machine extracted for another cupping to assess how the coffee and the blend behave in a real-life Nespresso situation. During all of these cuppings, Nespresso experts judge the coffee by: Sight - evaluating the colour, fineness and smoothness of the crema (for those coffees that are machine-extracted); Aroma - as it contributes to flavour via the nose; Taste - this of course being the most important sense for gauging the experience of the coffee in the mouth; and Touch - which evaluates the body of the coffee, the creaminess of the texture and its smoothness on the tongue.
What kind of coffees does Nespresso buy?
Nespresso sources only the highest qual-ity green coffee from the exclusive and limited supply of Specialty or Gourmet coffee. Only the best grades are selected. Nespresso coffees are only cultivated in certain regions of South and Central America, Africa and Asia where a unique combination of altitude, climatic and soil conditions delivers the character which matches the specific aroma profiles required for our Grands Crus coffees.
What makes Specialty or Gourmet coffees so special?
Gourmet or Specialty coffees are coffees of superior quality and unique flavour characteristics, grown in ideal coffee-producing conditions that are only avail-able in limited quantities. According to the World Bank report “Coffee Markets, New Paradigms in Global Supply and Demand”, Specialty or Gourmet coffees represent around 10% of total global production. Of this only 10% - 20% meet Nespresso’s highest quality standards.
What does this mean in terms of the price Nespresso pays for its coffee?
Based on the simple rules of supply and demand, higher quality, limited availability, Specialty coffees cost more than mainstream grade coffees in general. Nespresso sources only coffees of the highest quality - and their scarcity equates to higher value and therefore higher prices. The kinds of coffees that are of the exceptional quality required by Nespresso always command a high premium above world market prices. The premium can differ from country to country or even region to region but for example, when the world market price in N.Y. is at around 110 USD per 50kg, Nespresso quality coffees from Central America easily achieve prices of 150 USD per 50 kg and more.
Nowadays one hears a lot about sustainability - what does it stand for?
According to the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (1987), sustainable devel-opment is ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compro-mising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. According to the World Bank, sustainable develop-ment includes economic, environmental, and social sustainability, which can be achieved by rationally managing physi-cal, natural and human resources.
What does Nespresso do in terms of sustainable development?
Nespresso has announced the launch of it’s “AAA” Sustainable Quality Program and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with all of its main cof-fee suppliers, thus committing all parties to sourcing green coffee according to defined sustainability and quality crite-ria. The program’s name derives from the “AA” tag that stands for premium quality coffee from Kenya. The third “A”, added by Nespresso, stands for sustainability.
What’s special about the Nespresso AAA SUSTAINABLE QUALITY Program?
The Nespresso AAA SUSTAINABLE QUALITY Program innovatively combines the principles of practical sustainability - traceability, economic value, social equity and environmental stewardship - with high quality in order to achieve the perfection of Nespresso. In striving to ensure the consistent supply of high-est quality coffee to our Club Members now and into the future, Nespresso is establishing long-term relationships with growers and suppliers who can provide us with premium quality coffee and sus-tain these supplies over the long term.
What impact does the program have on farmers?
Nespresso contributes to quality of life for coffee growers and their communities by pursuing the highest possible quality and paying a premium price. The development of a tailor made farm assessment process called TASQ™ (Tool for the Assessment of Sustainable Quality) is the key element of the Nespresso AAA SUSTAINABLE QUALITY Program. In assisting growers in technical agricultural practices and investing in field projects, Nespresso is making a real contribution to improving the quality of life in coffee growing communities. Moreover, Nespresso is committed to ensuring that its coffees are cultivated in an environmentally sustainable way.
Who has developed this program?
Nespresso has developed the AAA SUSTAINABLE QUALITY Program in close collaboration with agricultural and sustainability professionals within Nestlé, key suppliers and in partnership with Rainforest Alliance, the leading non- governmental organisation (NGO) operating in the sphere of sustainable tropical agriculture - specifically in the areas of farm assessment, i.e. the development of the TASQ™ evaluation system.
How does Nespresso make sure it works with the right coffee farmers?
Nespresso assesses both large and smallholder coffee growers around the world, providing them with the necessary expertise and resources to help guide the individual farmers through the evaluation. Based on the TASQ™ evaluation system, Nespresso works with growers and agronomists to identify the necessary measures to help them meet the requirements in terms of quality and sustainability.
