A tribute to the farmers of the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program
Behind every exceptional Nespresso coffee experience are the untold stories of the committed individuals who proudly produce the highest quality coffee that Nespresso Club Members enjoy around the world.
In a unique collaboration, Nespresso partnered with internationally renowned photojournalist and celebrated humanitarian Reza to portray the farmers who consistently deliver the highest quality coffee to create Nespresso Grands Crus.
The resulting “Soul of Coffee” photo exhibit opened yesterday in Paris, France at the recently developed Berges de Seine. The exhibition will be on public display along the floating gardens of the scenic banks of the Seine river for a period of three months.
Reza captures the heart of the AAA Program
Over the course of four months, Reza travelled through Nespresso countries of origin to explore the AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program at its core. Throughout his journey, he captured with his lens the passion of dedicated coffee producers in Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala, Ethiopia and India.
“I hope that this photographic testimony will allow each individual to see the faces of the human beings who contributed to the making of their daily cup of coffee,” said Reza.
“Soul of Coffee” celebrates the 10 years of the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program, and a decade of commitment by Nespresso and the coffee farmers it works with in the sustainable production of highest quality coffee. “The beauty is the most important thing for me, I am looking inside the soul of the people,” says REZA of his work with those at the heart of coffee production, adding that in capturing their portraits he would add to the global understanding of the role these outstanding individuals play in the quality of their coffee.
Direct relationships with farmers through the AAA Program
The Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program is the unique Nespresso approach to securing the highest quality green coffee required to produce the Grand Cru coffees that Nespresso consumers have come to expect, improving sustainable farming practices and enhancing farmer welfare. Developed in collaboration with the international NGO the Rainforest Alliance and launched in 2003, the AAA Program is based on long-term, direct relationships with individual farm communities and over 52,000 farmers in 8 countries. Today 68% of Nespresso green coffee is sourced from AAA Program farms, with a goal to increase this to 80% by the end of 2013.
Award-winning photographer and dedicated humanitarian
Renowned photojournalist, Reza has been travelling the world for over 30 years, witnessing the pain and joys of those who cross his path, while having traversed more than a hundred countries. His visual testimonies have been published internationally (National Geographic, Time Magazine, Stern, Newsweek, El Pais, Paris Match, Geo…) and also in his books, exhibitions and documentaries.
Reza has been devoted to enforcing visual education since 1983. In 2001, he founded the NGO Aina, in Afghanistan. He has also established other photography training programs, from refugee camps to the European suburbs, advocating for informal visual education worldwide.
Reza has shared his humanist vision through some of his major exhibitions, amongst which “Crossing Destinies” in the Luxembourg Park, the Gardens of the French Senate in Paris; “A Bridge Between the Orient and the Occident” in Geneva; “One World, One Tribe” at the National Geographic building in Washington, DC; “Hope” in Doha, Qatar, and in his partaking in “The Razor’s Edge: Form and Content in Documentary Photography” at the New York Photo Festival.
An author of 26 books, Reza has received many awards and honors throughout his career.
“Soul of Coffee” on view worldwide
In addition to the exhibition at Berges de Seine in Paris, “Soul of Coffee” will be shown in all Nespresso boutiques worldwide this summer, with each boutique displaying a selection of the photographs. The complete exhibition will travel to various venues in major cities around the world, including Kew Gardens in London. It will culminate its journey at the end of the year in New York.
A hardcover book with Reza’s photography from the Nespresso countries of origin featured in the “Soul of Coffee” exhibition will also be published this summer.
