Nespresso, George Clooney and Lin-Manuel Miranda team up to rescue Puerto Rico's coffee biz
Nespresso is launching its very first Puerto Rican coffee in an effort to revive the island's coffee industry-- an industry pummeled by two monster hurricanes in 2017.
After hurricanes Maria and Irma destroyed 80 percent of the island's coffee trees and harvest, Nespresso began working with the Hispanic Federation and coffee farmers in Puerto Rico to help revitalize their coffee crop.
Through the launch of Cafecito de Puerto Rico, Nespresso and the Hispanic Federation are hoping consumers will join their revitalization efforts.
The launch of this limited edition, extremely rare coffee which highlights the natural earthiness of Puerto Rico's coffee beans has garnered support from brand ambassador George Clooney and acclaimed playwright and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda who joined forces with Nespresso and the Hispanic Federation.
The Puerto Rican coffee industry was seen as “a critical economic engine” which employed 15,000 people, according to the Hispanic Federation. In 2017, the island's coffee industry was on track to be worth up to $100 million until Hurricanes Maria and Irma wreaked havoc, resulting in a loss of $85 million for coffee farmers, the federation says.
In 2018, the Hispanic Federation, with the Miranda Family, announced a three-year initiative to revitalize Puerto Rico’s coffee sector with founding partners including Nespresso, The Rockefeller Foundation, Starbucks Foundation, TechnoServe, and World Coffee Research.
"Coffee is vital to Puerto Rico's rich and vibrant culture and economy," said Guillaume Le Cunff, president and CEO of Nespresso USA. "By leveraging the Hispanic Federation's deep understanding of the needs on the island, we can support farmers' livelihoods and foster economic opportunity while offering U.S. customers a truly unique coffee experience."
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"Puerto Rico still needs our help, and it will take a tremendous effort from both private and public organizations to ensure efforts on the ground have a meaningful and lasting impact."
Between Oct. 21 and Oct. 27, coffee fanatics who donate to the Hispanic Federation will have first access to Cafecito de Puerto Rico. Every dollar donated to the Hispanic Federation will go to plant a new coffee tree on the island.
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The Hispanic Federation's goal is to plant 2.25 million new coffee trees in Puerto Rico.
In addition to funding the revitalization efforts, Nespresso has committed 50,000 trees to this effort. This November, Nespresso consumers can support these efforts by recycling their capsules using a limited edition recycling bag. Every recycling bag represents one new coffee tree that will be planted on the island.