FOOD and beverage manufacturer Nestlé Philippines, Inc. reported a 27% year-on-year increase in the local buying of Robusta coffee beans for crop year 2019-2020 due to better crop yields than originally expected.
In a statement, the manufacturing giant said that through its long-term coffee road map dubbed Nescafé plan, Robusta coffee farmers in the country have improved their output and incomes.
Nestlé Philippines said the production and earnings of 1,500 farmers in Bukidnon and Sultan Kudarat have increased under Project Coffee+, the company’s training initiative that is a part of Nescafé plan.
“On average, production by participating farmers has doubled, while incomes have tripled, as independently verified by the Rainforest Alliance,” Nestlé Philippines said.
Nestlé Philippines Chairman and CEO Kais Marzouki said the company consistently made efforts to assist Filipino coffee farmers who are in need of aid from various stakeholders such as consumers.
“With Nescafé as the biggest domestically produced coffee brand in the Philippines, we are buying as much coffee as we can locally, and are increasing our direct purchasing from farmers and cooperatives,” Mr. Marzouki said.
“As we help generate livelihood opportunities, we offer a ready market for Robusta coffee farmers based on world market prices,” he added.
Last year, Nestlé Philippines updated its criteria for local coffee bean procurement, while keeping the quality of its products.
For instance, one of its products, Nescafé Classic, has only one ingredient: green coffee. Nestlé Philippines said that during the manufacturing process, only green coffee and water are used.
The company said that processing time for coffee was reduced, which increased the frequency of deliveries. Farmer workload also went down, particularly in harvesting, drying and sorting produce.
“Farmers selling coffee beans to the company have said the new criteria are making it easier for them to sell their produce and to provide greater volumes to the company,” Nestlé Philippines said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
