Nestlé Costa Rica, a company with more than 60 years operating in the country, unveiled its new NESCAFÉ Ground Coffee product. First NESCAFÉ in the region made from 100% Costa Rican Arabica beans, cultivated and harvested in the best coffee growing areas of the country and selected and produced under the highest standards of the iconic brand.
The Swiss company announced an investment of more than US $ 1.5 million in the development and marketing of this new product, which will be exclusive for the national market.
Costa Rica was chosen by Nestlé to carry out this innovation with its brand, due to the quality of the Costa Rican bean, the high consumption of ground coffee in the country and the importance of the national market in the Central American region.
Sandra Jiménez, general manager of Nestlé Costa Rica, explains that: “the Costa Rican, in addition to consuming 48% of the ground coffee from Central America, has a unique profile in the region. He is an informed consumer, in terms of food and beverage trends, and receptive to innovation. Therefore, Costa Rica is a very important market for the company, since it allows us to learn about new product lines for all of Central America and, at the same time, constantly challenges us to innovate and invest to be at the forefront.”
Despite the high consumption of coffee in the country, according to the Costa Rican Coffee Institute (Icafé), in its Report on Coffee Activity in Costa Rica 2018-2019, 83.2% of national coffee production was exported. Parallel to this, Costa Rica reached a record in the import of green coffee, which grew by 294% compared to the previous period. In other words, more than 80% of the coffee that is marketed and consumed in the country are mixtures of beans from markets such as Honduras and Nicaragua.
“Much of the production of Costa Rican coffee beans is exported, limiting Ticos the privilege of enjoying their own beans. Therefore, and as part of our approach to creating shared value, from the beginning we looked for allies that would allow us to work closely with national coffee growers, in search of a win-win, in order to offer Costa Ricans a 100% national ground coffee bean, of good quality and at an affordable price,” said Luis Alberto Paiz, director of Coffee and Beverages at Nestlé Central America.
The selection of the new NESCAFÉ Ground Coffee beans is made through local partners that indirectly impact the lives of more than 3,000 families, working hand in hand with coffee growers to promote mutual benefits such as increased quality of its production, the transparency and the fair price in each harvest, and the traceability of the chosen coffee.
On the other hand, roasting and packaging is done by the Cooperativa de Caficultores y Servicios Múltiples de la Coordillera Alta de Tilarán y Abangares R.L. (COOPELDOS R.L.), a cooperative that brings together more than 350 national producers.
“Thanks to opportunities like this, of co-manufacturing with a brand like NESCAFÉ, we can hire more local labor and continue to benefit more producing families in the area. For COOPELDOS it is a pride that Nestlé company has believed in our capabilities and through its new ground NESCAFÉ Ground Coffee, allow us to enhance our services, mainly in a difficult moment like the one that the country is going through”, explained Luis Alejandro García, general manager of COOPELDOS, RL
Consumers can purchase the new NESCAFÉ Ground Coffee in the country’s main supermarkets and convenience stores. It is available in three different roasting intensities: dark, medium and soft, in presentations of 250 and 500 grams.
The coffee business in the world, the region and Costa Rica
According to the Investor Guide, coffee is the second most traded commodity on the ICE futures exchange (Intercontinental Exchange) and generates around five million permanent or temporary jobs associated with its production. In Central America, 13% of the region’s total exports correspond to this product, which represents 12% of world production.
Data from the International Coffee Organization (OCI) estimate that global coffee production grew by 7.67% in the 2018-2019 period. In addition, the largest consumer of coffee in the world is the United States with 16%, followed closely by Brazil with 13.5%.
“From a commercial point of view, the high growth of coffee consumption is due to the fact that it has evolved from having a functional role for the consumer, like waking up and charging energy in the morning, to become a product that generates pleasure, relaxation, indulgence and even healthy benefits such as rehydration and the supply of antioxidants to the body”, added Paiz, director of coffee and drinks at Nestlé Central America.
