Nespresso announces first coffee certified regenerative by The Rainforest Alliance

MONTREAL, Canada – On Sept 8th, the Rainforest Alliance unveiled its new Regenerative Agriculture Standard for farms meeting a comprehensive set of requirements¹: Nespresso will be the first brand to source certified regenerative coffee, with one of the initial coffees coming from Yamileth Chacón’s farm in Costa Rica. Additional farms in Costa Rica and Mexico have also received certification and will soon bear the new regenerative seal. The seal will begin appearing on the Nespresso coffees starting in 2026.

The threat of climate change to coffee is clear: rising global temperatures cause erratic weather events and enables pests and diseases to proliferate. 33% of the Earth soils are already degraded and over 90% are likely to become degraded by 2050². But there is an opportunity for agriculture to help restore nature’s essential functions while improving farmers’ livelihoods. This is what regenerative agriculture is all about. What’s more, regenerative practices such as planting shade trees can actually enhance the quality of fine arabica coffee beans³, which is particularly sensitive to temperature fluctuations and disrupted rainfall patterns.

Yamileth Chacón, a coffee farmer from Costa Rica, said “With regenerative agriculture, you can see a change. By working with the trees, you see more foliage, more green, and more animals.”

For nearly 40 years, the Rainforest Alliance has partnered with farmers, companies, and communities around the world to advance sustainable agriculture practices. In recent years, the organisation has worked with farmers, partners, and experts to develop its new Regenerative Agriculture Standard. Initially available for coffee, the standard aligns with international and local requirements for environmental labels. The new certification seal is designed to help companies and farmers measure regenerative outcomes, build climate resilience, and stand out in a fast-changing regulatory and consumer landscape.

Santiago Gowland, Rainforest Alliance CEO, said: “Rooted in four decades of experience in sustainable agriculture, our new Regenerative Agriculture Standard combines scientific rigor with proven regenerative practices tailored to specific crops and regions. Our goal is to accelerate the transition to a new model of agriculture — one that helps protect, restore and regenerate the ecosystems on which we all depend. The new seal will help consumers support this transition by identifying certified products from farms adopting regenerative methods. For farmers, it offers recognized external validation for their efforts, greater market access, and enhanced value for their coffee—while supporting a more resilient future for both people and nature.”

The Rainforest Alliance has an ambitious vision to support 100 million farmers and workers by 2030 with more sustainable livelihoods and regenerative practices.

Nespresso is the first coffee brand to source Rainforest Alliance Certified Regenerative coffee.

Nespresso has already come a very long way when it comes to implementing regenerative practices at scale. For more than two decades, Nespresso has built relationship with coffee farmers across the world to protect the nature and life in landscapes where coffee is grown and to strengthen communities’ resilience.

This new regenerative seal will appear on selected Nespresso coffees in 2026.

Jérôme Perez, Head of Sustainability Nespresso, said: “We’re proud to be the first brand to source Rainforest Alliance Certified Regenerative coffee. It’s a symbol of our commitment to building balanced, resilient, yet productive landscapes within our supply chain, which is essential if we’re to protect the future of the world’s quality coffees and the communities which depend on them. I hope this consumer-facing seal will encourage other brands to support coffee farmers in a wide-scale regenerative transition, while also enabling consumers to become more aware of the benefits of purchasing products sourced from farms that have implemented regenerative agriculture practices”

Carlos Oyanguren, President of Nespresso Canada, added: “The new Rainforest Alliance Regenerative certification offers Canadian consumers a tangible way to support coffee that not only delivers exceptional taste, but also preserves the landscapes and ecosystems where it’s grown with care. This milestone reflects our long-standing commitment to sustainable and responsible sourcing practices, while empowering farmers to build long-term resilience. It’s a powerful step forward in recognizing the value of regenerative practices in the coffee industry.”

Nespresso’s purchase of this certified coffee marks an important milestone in the partnership with Rainforest Alliance which began more than 20 years ago when the Rainforest Alliance co-created the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality Program. In 2022, Nespresso supported the Rainforest Alliance to create the Rainforest Alliance Regenerative Coffee Scorecard, which created a framework for smallholder coffee farms to transition to regenerative agriculture practices and laid the foundation for the new standard.