A Dream Job for a Coffee Lover

By Leo Aizpuru, Marketing Director, Ready-to-Drink Beverages at Nestlé USA

When I arrive at Nestlé’s office each morning, the first thing I do is get a cup of coffee. Some days, I kick off with Chameleon’s Nitro Cold Brew, while other days I sip a Nespresso latte. I’m a coffee lover. Marketing Nestlé’s Ready-to-Drink beverages is a dream job.

As one of the world’s largest coffee producers, we know how to make a good cup of java. We also know that we can make an incredible impact in growing coffee sustainably. The work we do to help coffee farmers grow healthy beans — and dramatically improve their incomes — is one of the many reasons I’m proud to work at Nestlé. Because of our size, the way we source coffee beans can really make a difference in the lives of growers and in the health of the environment.

Today’s coffee farmers face huge challenges, including climate change, crop disease, and pests. Consumers, myself included, love the beverage and rely on it for a caffeinated jolt each day. Our coffee brands, from Nescafé and Nespresso to Chameleon and Blue Bottle, work daily with growers to meet these challenges head on.

Nescafé meets this challenge through the Nescafé Plan, which includes a commitment to invest $360 million in coffee projects between 2010 and 2020. The Nescafé team recognizes its responsibility to ensure the future of coffee and has put in place programs to train 10,000 coffee farmers each year on sustainable farming methods, improving their yields and income. They also buy directly from farmers through the Farmer Connect program, which cuts out middle-men and empowers farmers to improve their income — in 2014 alone, Nescafé sourced directly from 170,000 farmers.

In Mexico, where I started my Nestlé career, Nescafé works with close to 80,000 coffee growers providing millions of plants along with training on sustainable farming techniques. This year, the Mexico team even paid homage to 1,000 of those coffee producers, featuring their names and photos on coffee bags.

Chameleon Cold brew, too, has invested in partnering with coffee farming communities by constructing the Cenfrocafe Coffee Quality Lab in Peru. This lab contains specialized equipment which helps experts provide real-time feedback to farmers throughout the growing and harvest season so that they can grow the best coffee.

This sort of work makes me proud to be a Nestlé employee. It shows that making tasty food and beverages is only the beginning, we’re also working to build a better future. This commitment to make an impact extends beyond how we source coffee. It impacts everything we do. From how we purchase energy to the ways we develop recipes, we’re committed to using our size and scale to benefit communities and individuals worldwide. It’s that dedication — and the possibilities that come with it — that make me excited to come to work every day.