Nestlé‘s Nescafé coffee brand sourced around a third (32%) of its coffee from farmers implementing regenerative agriculture practices in 2024, surpassing its 2025 target of 20%.
Nestlé made the announcement in its Nescafé Plan 2030 Progress Report, in which it noted the ‘strong traction that regenerative agriculture is gaining [among] coffee farmers’, with the food giant supporting farmers’ transition to practices like optimised fertilisation, soil cover, mulching and composting.
The strategy is also yielding notable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, with participants in the Nescafé Plan achieving a reduction of between 20% to 40% of GHG emissions per kilogram of green coffee during 2024.
‘Build resilience’
“Regenerative agriculture is at the heart of the Nescafé Plan and our efforts to build resilience in our coffee supply chain,” commented Axel Touzet, head of Nestlé’s Coffee Brands strategic business unit.
“This third Progress Report shows that farmers are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of these practices, as shown by the increased adoption rates. This encourages us to continue the work we do with our partners, suppliers and farmers in the regions where we source our coffee.”
The Nescafé Plan currently covers more than 400,000 hectares of coffee farmlands, with more than 200,000 coffee farmers in 16 countries trained in regenerative agriculture practices last year.
Nestlé’s team of field staff and agronomists actively assist farmers with issues such as soil erosion and runoff, organic matter management and optimised fertilisation, the company said.
The Nescafé Plan is supported by partners such as GIZ and TechnoServe, focusing not only on farming techniques but also on improving farmers’ business skills and resilience.
Improved income
A recent TechnoServe study, which was funded by Nescafé and others, found that regenerative agriculture in coffee can significantly increase farmer income, boost exports, and cut carbon emissions. It suggested that an annual $500 million to $600 million investment could yield over $2 billion in returns, as well as reductions of 3.5 million metric tonnes of CO₂e.
“We are proud to have worked alongside Nestlé and the other partners on this study,” commented Paul Stewart, global coffee director at TechnoServe.
“As a result of this effort, we have the data to show that regenerative agriculture is not only good for nature, but essential for farmer livelihoods and the future of the coffee industry. We hope it will inspire greater investment from governments and the private sector to scale-up regenerative coffee production around the world.” Read more here.
