Nespresso and TechnoServe have entered into partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to revive coffee industry in South Sudan and improve livelihoods for coffee farmers.
USAID will invest $3.18m during three years in the project, which is helping South Sudan's coffee industry by diversifying its export market and help lift household incomes of smallholder coffee farmers.
Nespresso and TechnoServe have worked with local farmers directly since 2011 to revive coffee production in South Sudan, while also working to develop commercial channels to encourage sales and export.
Nestle's coffee business has already invested $2.5m in the project.
South Sudan's coffee industry suffered a massive blow after years of civil war.
More than 700 farmers have been enrolled into the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality Program, which provides training and technical assistance to improve productivity and sustainability of coffee.
South Sudan's first wet mills have been set up, and the first coffee export was sold as a Nespresso Limited Edition in France in 2015.
Nestlé Nespresso CEO Jean-Marc Duvoisin said: "This new partnership with USAID will be instrumental to accelerate the progress Nespresso and TechnoServe have already made, working directly with South Sudanese farmers.
"This funding injection will allow us to scale up the project and help an even greater number of farmers grow and sell high quality coffee for international export at a higher price, thus creating a better quality of life for farmers and their families."
USAID's investment will help expand the existing initiative to support coffee sector in South Sudan by enhancing scale. The new funding will also help the program to extend to new communities, thereby facilitating enrolment of more farmers in South Sudan to benefit the revival of coffee industry in the region.
The initiative aims to triple coffee incomes and improve livelihoods. By 2019, the program aims to train 1,500 South Sudanese farmers, of whom at least 25 % will be women. It also intends to help set up nine cooperative-owned wet mills.
USAID Africa assistant administrator Linda Etim said: "In a severely conflict-affected country like South Sudan, it's important that we invest in people to help improve livelihoods, reduce extreme poverty and give people hope about the future.
"By helping expand the success that Nespresso and TechnoServe have already achieved in improving the livelihoods of South Sudan's coffee farmers, USAID is planting seeds of hope at a very fragile and uncertain time for the people of South Sudan.
"We're encouraged to see a company like Nespresso investing in long-term growth in South Sudan and look forward to working together to expand economic growth and opportunity in the country."
