Nespresso AAA Sustainable QualityTM coffee
Only about 2% of the world’s speciality grade coffees meet the specific profile of Nespresso’s Grands Crus. So to ensure a consistent supply in the future, we encourage and reward farmers who grow such grades, developing lasting, mutually beneficial relationships and improving traceability in the supply chain.
‘AA’ has always stood for the highest-quality coffee, but in 2003, Nespresso incorporated an additional ‘A’ for sustainability. The resulting Nespresso AAA Sustainable QualityTM Program draws on our relationships with suppliers and partners to ensure our coffee is produced to the highest quality standards but also considers the social and economic value for farming communities, and environmental sustainability.
Working closely with the Rainforest Alliance, our commitment includes:
- paying farmers a premium price for their AAA coffee
- setting out the practices required by the AAA standard
- analysing the data from the indepedent verification process conducted by Rainforest Alliance
- providing technical training and assistance to farmers
- investing in wider community projects.
In 2007, 35% of the total green coffee beans Nespresso purchased came from farms in the AAA Sustainable QualityTM Program. This is an increase from 25% in 2006, and we have committed to increase this to 50% by 2010.
The AAA Sustainable QualityTM Program has been rolled out in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia and Brazil. See Nespresso website 
for further information.
AAA Forum
From left: Lawrence Pratt, Associate Director of the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development; Marco Vinicio Ruiz, Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Trade; Richard Girardot, CEO Nestlé Nespresso S.A.
The second Nestlé Nespresso AAA Sustainable QualityTM Coffee Forum took place on 14-15 November 2007, drawing more than 70 professionals from around the world to Costa Rica. Over the two-day event held at Latin America’s leading business school, INCAE, participants explored how the Nespresso AAA Program is generating social, environmental and economic value and how this value is being shared across the Nespresso supply chain to the benefit of coffee farmers and their communities.
Opened by the Costa Rican Minister for Foreign Trade, Marco Vinicio Ruiz, the Forum attracted a wide range of stakeholders including representatives of NGOs such as Rainforest Alliance and TechnoServe, academics, Nestlé and Nestlé Nespresso executives, industry experts and key suppliers. All exchanged ideas on how best to ensure the positive impact of the AAA Program in the years to come. Claus Conzelmann represented Nestlé and presented the overall Nestlé Shared Value concept.
The Forum built on the success of the first event held at IMD, Switzerland in 2005 and is part of a long-term process of improving knowledge related to sustainability and quality in the specialty coffee sector. For Nestlé Nespresso, this event not only provides an ideal stage for discussing our past and present relationship with stakeholders, but it also gave us a chance to think about the future and how together, we can engage in sustainable initiatives.
The key learnings and best practice arising from this second AAA Forum will be published in early 2008. Sign up to stay informed.