Riding in the back of an open-air vehicle along bumpy unpaved roads, I’m heading into the heart of the Indonesian forest in West Java. The purpose of this excursion to such a remote part of the country—far from the bustling city streets of its sprawling capital, Jakarta—is to take a deep dive into Nespresso’s coffee-production process, from planting to harvesting. The region, which is known for its coffee-bean farms, is home to people who are passionate about both the product and the land. Many of them are also members of the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality program, created in 2003 in collaboration with the NGO Rainforest Alliance and launched with the aim of building sustainable-coffee supply chains while providing the necessary tools to farmers and helping them with daily challenges. The program’s framework is based on three main pillars—regenerative agriculture, communities and product quality—and always takes into account Indonesia’s social, environmental and economic circumstances. Since its inception, the program has grown to support about 150,000 farmers—including more than 6,000 in Indonesia—across 18 countries.

One such farmer is Pasir Kuda, whose five-hectare property is home to 9,000 coffee trees, which are scattered throughout a valley stretching as far as the eye can see. When we arrive on-site in the extreme midday heat, the farm workers—who are wearing large conical hats and long dark tunics—are meticulously harvesting coffee cherries one by one, pulling firmly on the fruit while making sure not to break the stem. At the peak of the harvest season, an average of 600 kilograms (equivalent to about 300,000 cherries) are picked per day.

Along with me for this adventure is Sarah Langrand, the AAA program manager in Asia, who explains that Nespresso is continuously ensuring that the practices of the coffee farmers with whom the brand collaborates meet the program’s criteria. “Outside of harvest [time], agronomists visit the farmers at least two to four times a year to ensure that good practices [are being followed] and operations are running smoothly,” she says. “It’s important to show the farmers the advantage of being part of this program, which helps them make a decent living from their production and creates jobs within their communities.”

To ensure the consistent quality of the coffee harvested while also respecting sustainable-production principles, the program promotes a regenerative-agriculture approach, which focuses on restoring soil health, enhancing biodiversity and reducing farming’s carbon footprint. The goal is to create an agricultural system that not only supports current production but also regenerates ecosystems for future generations. Mimin Mitarsi, another local farmer, is a case in point. Following in her father’s footsteps with the aim of passing her land on to her son, Mitarsi implements regenerative-agriculture practices through various initiatives, including tree-planting and the integration of agroforestry methods, which promote biodiversity. These actions are designed, among other things, to improve the farm’s resilience to climate change while reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

For many farms here, the process starts in the greenhouse, where coffee seeds are sown. It takes 30 to 45 days to see a fine shoot—called a “butterfly” because of its shape—appear and then another 120 days to see the first leaves of the tree. After 180 days and once the plant has at least five layers of leaves, it’s ready to be taken to the farm. The planting-to-harvesting operation may seem simple, but it requires a great deal of expertise and takes on average three years. “This complex process ensures the quality of the product, so that the coffee sold today has the same excellent taste it had five years ago or will have five years from now,” explains Langrand.

During the coffee-cherry harvest I participated in, I made my way, along with the workers, from tree to tree and branch to branch, gathering all the ripe cherries in a harvesting bag. Then each fruit was carefully examined, sorted and weighed. Immediately after harvesting comes the processing: The skin and mucilage—the viscous plant substance that surrounds the two beans in the cherry—have to be removed; then the beans are fermented and dried in huge purpose-built facilities. After that, the beans are sorted again according to their weight, colour and size by machine, and the final step is going through the beans by hand to make sure there aren’t any defects that were missed.

Being able to experience this process up close gave me a new perspective on my morning coffee and a greater appreciation for the meticulous and passionate work behind each bean. Thanks to the AAA program and the efforts of Nespresso and its partners, every cup we enjoy is more than just a drink—it’s a testament to their commitment to quality and sustainability.

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