Agriculture Business Week

Coffee Farmers in various parts of the country are enjoying direct access to their biggest buyer of their harvests, thanks to Nestle’s satellite buying stations which date back 21 years ago when the , first satellite buying station was established in Davao.

It is through these satellite buying stations where farmers can sell their Robusta green coffee bean (GCB) at current world market price and get paid within eight hours of delivery.

In the stations, farmers can also get free coffee farming literature such as planting and harvesting manuals or seek advice from Nestle coffee specialists on how to improve their produce.

Through the years, more satellite buying stations have been opened strategically located in key coffee-producing areas in Iloilo, Isabela, Zamboanga, Cotabato, Agusan del Sur, Palawan, -Tuguegarao, Solano, Bacolod, Bohol, Calamba, Alabang and Cavite.

Last September, Nestle celebrated the 21st anniversary of Nestle satellite buying stations.

“The Nestle satellite buying stations have contributed much to building and nurturing our partnership with Filipino coffee farmers through the years,” says Coffee Business Executive Manager Bruno Olierhoek. “Our direct procurement system has created direct access between the farmers and Nescafe, which has resulted in long term benefits for all parties concerned.”

Olierhoek reaffirms Nestle’s commitment to Filipino farmers by further strengthening the company’s innovative coffee programs for farmers such as the Nestle Experimental and Demonstration Farm (NEDF), which provides free technical training and the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative of Nestle (SAIN), a worldwide agricultural campaign that promotes coffee-based sustainable fanning system (CBSFS), among other programs.

The establishment of the Nestle satellite buying stations is in line with the company’s corporate business principle of obtaining raw materials directly from their sources – a practice that proves beneficial to coffee farmers, the coffee farming industry and Nestle.

Here, green coffee beans are first examined physically for imperfections. These are then roasted, brewed and tasted by certified coffee specialists. They rate its physical and cup-taste quality according to rigid standards in three levels with Grade 1 as the highest. Anything falling below Grade 3 gets outright rejection.

Transactions in all Nestle satellite buying stations are efficient and impartial. Independent farmers with just one sack of coffee to larger operators with truckloads of coffee are guaranteed payment within only eight hours after delivery.

Olierhoek also stresses the importance of continued cooperation in order to further strengthen coffee farming as a viable and sustainable proposition for the farmers.

We have to manage this good chain in the production of coffee, and make sure that every party in the chain sees sustainable development,” he says.

To date, there are 11 Nestle satellite buying stations in strategic locations in the country.