07 October 2015 | Paris, FRANCE – Nespresso announced today the launch of the first ever coffee to be exported from the new country of South Sudan. SULUJA ti SOUTH SUDAN*, a rare and unique coffee, is the country’s first significant non-oil export in a generation and represents a positive step towards rebuilding the economy. The result of a strong combination of coffee expertise and sustainability innovation, this unique coffee reflectsNespresso’s Creating Shared Value approach to business and its ongoing commitment to coffee farmers in South Sudan.
South Sudan has a long history of cultivating coffee but the industry has largely been destroyed following conflict in the region. Partnering with local farmers to rebuild this important industry, Nespresso and the non-profit organisation TechnoServe, have been working to revive high-quality coffee production in the country since 2011. This is part of a long-term commitment by Nespresso, which has already invested more than CHF 700,000 in reviving the coffee industry in the Yei region of the country. The company aims to have invested CHF 2.5 million in the coming years and to expand the program to include several thousand farmers by 2020.
SULUJA ti SOUTH SUDAN will be available for the first time in October to Nespresso Club Members in France in extremely limited volumes. Nespresso sees this as a long-term investment in helping to revive the coffee industry in South Sudan and does not expect to make a return on investment for many years.
Nespresso CEO, Jean-Marc Duvoisin comments: “Nespresso’s goal is to source the highest quality coffee in the world. We believe that the only way to continue to deliver quality and consistency to customers is to protect the supply of our coffees. And our experience has shown us that the best way to do this is to build a more environmentally sustainable and financially equitable outcome for farmers. SULUJA ti SOUTH SUDAN is an exceptional coffee, and we are very proud of the positive impact this project is having on farmers and their families. Together with the coffee farmers in Yei and TechnoServe we are excited about the potential of this project for economic growth in the region.”
Exceptional Coffee Expertise
South Sudan is the cradle of coffee and is now one of the only places in the world where coffee still grows in the wild, thriving in a distinct, dry climate. Created solely from Robusta coffee, SULUJA ti SOUTH SUDAN possesses a bold silky texture and intense aromas of dried cereals and subtle woody notes that deliver unique flavours new to our consumers.
Driving Positive Impact
Based on the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program, the South Sudan initiative currently involves roughly 500 farmers. It has already led to the establishment of three new coffee cooperatives which have received support to enable farmer mobilization and infrastructure development, three wet mills and two coffee nurseries. As Nespresso and TechnoServe continue to develop the program, it is anticipated that coffee cultivation and commercialisation will generate much-needed income for thousands of farmers and their families living in coffee communities, and ultimately help diversify the country’s economic base. According to a recent TechnoServe report, for example, farmers delivering their coffee to the cooperative wet mills have earned a 40% premium over the local market price.
"SULUJA ti SOUTH SUDAN is not just great coffee—it represents the incredible commitment of South Sudan's farmers to rebuild their coffee industry and improve the lives of their families and communities," said William Warshauer, President and CEO of TechnoServe. “In partnership with Nespresso, these efforts can not only improve incomes for thousands of farmers, but build an important agricultural export in a country heavily reliant on oil for income. As a nonprofit that develops business solutions to poverty, TechnoServe is proud to work with Nespresso on a project that shares South Sudan’s terrific coffee with the world while working with its farmers to build a better future”, he added.
As Joseph Malish Thomas, a South Sudanese farmer taking part in the Nespresso AAA Program commented; “I have seen that there is great change within the community. We want to produce the right quality. People now have hope. We will be able to pay school fees for children and in the end develop the country.”
*SULUJA ti SOUTH SUDAN means ‘Beginning of South Sudan’ in the indigenous language Kakwa which is the dominant local language spoken in the majority of the coffee areas in the region.
