For the love of quality coffee: Raise a cup to inspiring female agronomists

Mitch Monaghan, Nespresso Coffee Ambassador

How do we ensure that we have access to our favourite morning espresso, cappuccino or macchiato for the foreseeable future? With news of a decreasing coffee supply hitting our screens, and increase in consumer eco-consciousness across the world, Australian’s are becoming increasingly invested in the origins of the products they consume with 37% saying they only drink coffee sourced sustainably.*

That’s why, at Nespresso, we develop close relationships with coffee farmers around the world to safeguard our access to the best coffee while protecting the environment and improving the livelihoods of farmers and their families, including ensuring men and women have equal access to the amazing opportunities that coffee can offer.

To challenge the gender gap that exists within many farming communities, Nespresso began creating tailored recruitment initiatives for women. It’s the stories of two inspirational women working with us in Ethiopia – the home of our Lungo Decaffeinato and Lungo Leggero coffees - that I wanted to share with you today.

Hundatu trains farmers in modern harvesting techniques that enhance the quality of our coffee

The first, Hundatu Ayana is a female Ethiopian agronomist (a farm advisor who gives training and support to farmers) who has become a role model within her community, perfectly exemplifying the symbiotic relationship between Nespresso and our farmers. Originally trained through the AAA Program, Hundatu uses the opportunity to share knowledge amongst her peers and convince farmers to adopt modern, innovative techniques. This not only helps them produce superior sustainable coffee but helps increase productivity and revenue so that her community can invest in infrastructure and transportation.

Adanech offers confidence and advice to her fellow female farmers

Another example of the shift the introduction of our AAA Program can have on the lives of our farmers is Adanech Tumsido, also an Ethiopian female agronomist. Passionate about improving coffee quality and productivity, Adanech trains local coffee farmers about new farming methods designed to revive coffee trees and give them new life, resulting in larger yields and exemplifying the ongoing and far-reaching benefits sustainable farming has on the wider community, as well as on individuals. And, to ensure that the women are not left behind, she uses her training to build confidence within the local female farmers and pay for the education of her two young girls.

At Nespresso, we believe that quality does not happen by chance, but by choice. Our search for the highest quality coffee has, at its heart, always been focused on sustainability. We have made very deliberate choices throughout our history to deliver coffee lovers around the world the best quality coffee day in and day out, which is why in 2003 we put in place our unique AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program. Through the implementation of the AAA Program, we have been able to provide high quality coffee, while working towards strengthening the resilience of our coffee producing regions in the face of continued economic and environmental instability

As a result of nurturing our relationships with these coffee-growing communities and providing opportunities to incredible women like Hundatu and Adanech, we have already seen a drop in the gender imbalance. Already, women represent 31% of all agronomists working with coffee farmers worldwide through the Nespresso AAA Program (compared to 15% global average, according to World Bank estimates).

*Research conducted in June 2017 by Galaxy Research Online Omnibus with 1,000 Australians and commissioned by Nespresso.