As evidenced by its NESCAFÉ Plan, Nestlé viewed sustainability differently from certifications such as
Fairtrade. The company believed that it could better enhance sustainability by working closely with
individual farmers, rather than guaranteeing a minimum price for their output. The company’s grassroots
interaction with farmers involved supplying seedlings, providing technical assistance, diversifying the
coffee farmers’ sources of income through changes in cropping patterns and building schools in coffeeproducing
communities.