New York, USA – George Clooney, Nespresso brand ambassador and face of the company’s ad campaigns, recently visited coffee farmers in Costa Rica to see firsthand the positive impacts of sustainable farm management.
On July 16th, we caught up with him in Paris at a Nespresso event celebrating a decade of successful collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance on the company’s AAA Sustainable Quality program.
The Rainforest Alliance has been working with Nespresso on its AAA program for 10 years–helping farmers grow sustainable, high-quality coffee, improve their livelihoods and be better stewards to the environment.
Today, more than 56,000 farmers are part of the AAA program. These farmers have seen great improvements in yield and coffee quality while simultaneously improving the health of their farms and the surrounding environment.
A growing number of AAA farmers have also successfully implemented the Sustainable Agriculture Network standards required for Rainforest Alliance certification.
A 2013 independent study by the Colombian organization Crece found that AAA farmers’ net incomes were 87 percent higher than nonparticipating farmers. The study also found that farmers benefited from better social conditions and a higher-quality product.
The Paris event also kicked off the launch of Nespresso’s Sustainability Advisory Board, which aims to enhance Nespresso’s long term sustainability strategy. Rainforest Alliance president Tensie Whelan and Rainforest Alliance chairman and founder Daniel Katz are members of Nespresso’s new advisory board.
