Enhancing the use of biological methods in coffee farming with Nespresso

Nespresso became a sponsor of the CABI BioProtection Portal after meeting CABI team members who were in Colombia working with the British Embassy to explore new biological methods to control the coffee berry borer. While in Colombia, CABI’s Dr Steve Edgington met with Nespresso’s Green Coffee Project Manager.

The challenge Nespresso faced

Many of the coffee farms in the Nespresso Sustainable Quality Plan were being threatened by the coffee berry borer. This beetle is a pervasive coffee pest that causes damage by feeding on coffee berries. Infestations can destroy coffee crops by feeding on whole berries as well as making plants more susceptible to disease. Approximately $500 million is lost annually to this pest across the world.

How this led to collaboration

Using biological methods to manage pests is an integral pillar of the Nespresso Sustainable Quality Plan. Here, the Portal could play a key role in supporting Nespresso and their coffee suppliers.

Key activities

This resulted in several activities to support Nespresso’s farmers, including:

• Collaborating on designing a training course as part of the Nespresso Sustainable Quality Plan, focusing on biopesticides and how the Portal can support agronomists and growers.
• Empowering Nespresso’s 700+ agronomists to use the Portal, enabling them to work on the ground with coffee farmers to encourage biological methods.
• Creating more coffee-focused resources on the Portal and making this information available in more coffee-producing countries – including Colombia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Indonesia, India, Jamaica, and Mexico – all in local languages.
• Adding more product information, such as product labels, safety data sheets and Rainforest Alliance certifications, to key coffee biopesticides on the Portal.

What has been achieved so far

The Portal is now live in 25 coffee-producing countries, enabling farmers to access up-to-date, country-specific biopesticide information. It has over 500 biopesticide products registered for use on coffee crops. Since 2020, nearly 6,700 searches for products to use on coffee crops have been made, with the coffee berry borer the most searched coffee pest.

The global impact of using biological pest management

• Julie Reneau, Head of Coffee Sustainability and Regenerative Agriculture, at Nestlé Nespresso SA “Using biological solutions enables a more sustainable future for the farmers who grow coffee. The CABI BioProtection Portal is supporting Nespresso to reduce the reliance on chemical pesticides on coffee farms, by providing the information that enables coffee farmers to be more aware of biological alternatives”.