The launch of the Origins Peru Organic suggests an increased emphasis on quality and sustainability.
Great coffee is about more than the reaction between water and grounds. It is a story of careful cultivation, beginning with good soil, plenty of rain and sunshine, and expert handling throughout. Every step in its processing and every hand it passes through gives shape to the final product.
For its new brew, Nespresso traversed the most remote regions of Peru in search of the finest Arabica beans. It found them over 1,000m above sea level, tucked away in the shaded slopes of the Andes. The farmers who cultivate them believe in allowing nature to do what it does best and intervening respectfully only where necessary. They honour the natural environment, from eschewing all synthetic influences, such as chemical-based compost or pesticides, to resource cycling with the aim of promoting ecological balance and biodiversity.
Such practices are laborious but worthwhile, resulting in beans so pure that they have become the first organic addition to Nespresso’s Professional Origins range. The existing series comprises single-origin coffees sourced from Brazil, Guatemala and India, designed to celebrate the unique aromas and tastes derived from specific terroirs where coffee cultivation abides by the traditions of the area.
The Origins Peru Organic is not just the newest family member, but also boasts a particularly extraordinary story: this cultivation, with its elegant fruity character and smooth toasted cereal notes, plays an important role in the sustainability of local agriculture and industry.
Painstaking methods adopted by the Peruvian farmers include organic homemade composting, bio ferments, manual weeding, cross planting and shading, and handpicking of the coffee cherries, which contribute to preserving the sanctity of the ecosystem. Organic coffees require heavy upfront investment in infrastructure and certification, but Nespresso embraced these all-natural practices for their alignment with its AAA Sustainable Quality Program.
Over 80% of Nespresso’s Origins coffees are sourced through this programme in partnership with some 100,000 farmers. They work together to identify the most efficient and ecologically-friendly field management methods appropriate for local conditions, which in turn produces high-quality coffees for the long term. Farmers are rewarded for their efforts with above-market prices, pensions and insurance to encourage profitability and, subsequently, the continuity of these practices.
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The launch of the Origins Peru Organic suggests an increased emphasis on quality and sustainability, two traits for which Nespresso is renowned. The third is consistency. After all, the brand was founded on the premise of delivering perfectly brewed coffee, whereby each cup poured should match the temperature, taste and texture of the cups before it and after it. Human fallibility had to be removed from the equation; only machines could perform with such rigorous consistency.
It is here that Nespresso now excels, marrying its superior single-origin brews with state-of-the-art technology to offer premium yet pragmatic solutions for wide-scale consumption. Sleek, heavy-duty machines favoured by the likes of offices, hotels and food and beverage outlets cater to high demand, with a mere push of a button flawlessly extracting coffee from capsule to cup. Some machines, such as the Gemini and Zenius, pull black coffees while the nifty Aguila heats and froths milk too for that beautiful foam to crown cappuccinos and flat whites.
Nespresso is currently offering business-to-business (B2B) customers a complimentary Zenius machine and Aeroccino Milk Frother worth RM2,100 with the purchase of 30 boxes of coffee. Consider including the Peru Organic in your order here. The single-origin coffee makes for an excellent latte with milk drawing out its lovely caramel and nutty notes. That it was conscientiously produced makes it extra sweet.
Then again, it was only a matter of time before the brand that champions sustainability presented a brew of similar virtue.
