Nestle Nespresso to boost coffee production in Africa
Nestle Nespresso is to invest about $500 million in Ghana and many other countries in Africa to boost the production of coffee on the continent.
The investment, which will be carried out over a seven-year period forms part of efforts by the company to expand its reach on the continent.
Nestle Nespresso is the producer of worldwide premium portioned coffee and the move is expected to increase farmer’s yield.
The Regional Manager of Middle-East, Africa and the Carribean, Mr Pierre Debayle, disclosed this to the Daily Graphic shortly after the company formally opened its first Nespresso Boutique at the Marina Mall in Accra.
The new Nespresso Boutique will provide Nespresso Club members and visitors the opportunity to indulge in it, while providing others the chance to taste the entire range of 22 permanent Grands Crus.
Mr Debayle explained that Nespresso intended to use its presence in the country to stimulate the appetite of coffee farmers in the country to help increase their yield and quality to meet the expectations of the company.
He said the company was doing a lot in other African countries, particularly Ethiopia and expressed the hope that the same support would be extended to Ghana to boost its production.
Ghana's annual coffee production is expected to increase from the current 6,000 tonnes to 50,000 tonnes within the next 10 years under the government's new plan, according to the Cocoa Services Division.
Records indicate that between 1970 and 1980, about 13,300 hectares had been put under coffee cultivation but this figure fell to 3,200 hectares as a result of the severe drought and the 1982/83 bushfires.
The total area now under small holder coffee cultivation is approximately 10,000 hectares with a lot more potential.
It is therefore expected that once the sector receives more support, the potential of the country in coffee production would be fully harnessed; a feat Nespresso intends to achieve over the period in order to assist the country.
Competition
Mr Debayle said the company intended to use its coffee quality to capture the market by ensuring that as many people as possible experienced the taste of what he described as “real coffee”.
He added that the company was aware of the level of competition in the country but was not perturbed since its brand would distinguish itself from the others while ensuring that Nespresso was present in many outlets in the country.