NESCAFÉ Brewing Sustainable Future for Thailand’s Coffee Sector through Regenerative Agriculture
NESCAFÉ is driving regenerative agriculture under the NESCAFÉ Plan 2030 to help create a sustainable future for Thailand's coffee sector by working on strengthen farmers’ economic and climate resilience. Reforestation is a key part of the plan and in the context of Nestlé’s Global Reforestation Program the company has progressed on planting and growing shade trees in coffee farms NESCAFÉ sources from. These efforts support Nestlé's commitment of achieving zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Mr. David Rennie, Executive Board Member and Head of Nestlé Coffee Brands, said, “The NESCAFÉ Plan 2030 is how we Create Shared Value with the coffee farmers we work with and help develop a sustainable future for the coffee industry. It’s an integrated plan that puts regenerative agriculture at the centre aiming at helping coffee farmers increase coffee yields and improve farmers’ livelihoods.”
“We are accelerating our work to help tackle climate change and address social and economic challenges faced by our farmers in many locations, including in Thailand. I am pleased to see real progress from our regenerative agriculture works in the South of Thailand with farmers benefiting from better crops and local biodiversity. Local academic studies* have shown that total net farm income of the Thai coffee farmers supported by NESCAFÉ grew by 88% in 2022 when compared to 2018.”
The NESCAFÉ Plan distributes high-yielding coffee plantlets together with training and technical assistance. The goal is to help increase yield and diversify farm production, leading to better income while mitigating risks from climate change. The regenerative agriculture practices aim to improve soil health and natural biodiversity as well as reduce farming emissions.
Mr. Jojo Dela Cruz, Business Executive Officer – Coffee and Creamer Business Unit, Nestlé (Thai) Ltd., said, “NESCAFÉ has a long history of developing Thailand’s coffee sector. For over 40 years, our dedicated agronomists have been working closely with Thai coffee farmers to help them produce better yields and improve their quality of life. Some of the key initiatives include providing 3.6 million coffee plantlets to farmers and training 2,000 farmers on farmer entrepreneurship.”
“As a result of the dedication and hard work with our local coffee farmers, we have together achieved 100% responsible sourcing, with every coffee bean that NESCAFÉ buys from Thai coffee farmers certified to international Common Code for the Coffee Community (4C) standards, ensuring a quality cup of coffee for Thai consumers,” he added.
“As climate change poses more challenges, we have implemented the NESCAFÉ Plan 2030 in Thailand focusing on a regenerative agriculture approach. We will continue our good progress in collaboration with the German International Cooperation Organization (GIZ) and the PUR Projet in providing training and technical assistance to increase coffee yield for the farmers, as well as diversify farm production and reforestation activities to help improve soil health and the restoration of the environment in the area.”
Nestlé’s Global Reforestation Program is a pillar of the company’s Forest Positive strategy, which supports the company’s efforts to accelerate the transition to regenerative agriculture systems. Nestlé’ in partnership with the PUR Projet is committed to plant and grow 800,000 trees over 2022-2026 on coffee farms in Ranong and Chumphon provinces and monitor the trees over a 20-year project lifetime.
To monitor its reforestation efforts, Nestlé will be the first food and beverage company to pilot Airbus’s new cutting-edge satellite technology called Pléiades Neo satellites. This technology will help Nestlé ensure that the trees it has planted in its sourcing locations continue to thrive over the long term. The company will pilot this new technology first in Ranong and Chumphon provinces, where reforestation projects have been ongoing since last year.
Mr. Wisa Poonsirirat, the governor of Chumphon, said, “Coffee is a very important economic crop for the province. We aim to promote sustainable coffee cultivation that ensures the quality of coffee beans while also taking care of the environment. Additionally, the province encourages the development of new generations of coffee farmers. We thank NESCAFÉ as they implement various tangible and high-impact projects that support the policy of Chumphon Province.”
