Blue Marble

Café Seguro Colombia with Nespresso

Venture Name: Cafe Seguro Colombia with Nespresso
Subtitle: Index insurance for Colombian coffee smallholders
Case study date: June 2021
Location: Colombia

Overview

Cafe Seguro has been protecting smallholder coffee farmers since 2018.  Launched in collaboration with Nespresso in two cooperatives in the heart of the coffee-growing region, the venture has expanded its geographical footprint each year.  The program is a co-creation of farmers, Nespresso coffee specialists and Blue Marble insurance experts. It provides coverage for excess rainfall and drought during the developmental stages in which coffee is most vulnerable to climatic shocks. This financial stability protects smallholder farmers from the poverty caused by adverse weather, encourages the farmers to invest in sustainable agronomy and improves the supply chain’s resilience.

Opportunity / Problem

Before Café Seguro, smallholder coffee farmers in Colombia had no access to weather insurance.

Providing financial stability for smallholder farmers helps them and their families, their customers and the wider community.  Adverse weather that damages the coffee harvest disproportionately hurts smallholder farmers as it can lead to a cycle of poverty and debt that is hard to escape. 

The program provides farmers with financial stability and allows them to plan for the longer term and invest in sustainable agronomy.  This stability provides benefits for all stakeholders and improves the supply chain’s resilience for coffee buyers.

Partners and their roles

To make Café Seguro affordable, we created a unique, shared-value ecosystem.

  • We designed the weather index and provided a low-cost digital insurance platform.
  • Nespresso provides access to the smallholder farmers through the cooperatives that supply the coffee. 
  • Seguros Bolivar underwrites the insurance policies, collects the premiums and makes the payouts. 
  • The Colombian government and Fairtrade support with premium subsidies. 
  • Our owner companies provide the reinsurance capacity.

 

Solution

We designed and delivered tailor-made, digitized weather index insurance for excess rainfall and drought.

  • Index designed to closely match payout performance with actual loss experience in each specific geographic location.
  • Automated monitoring and tracking using satellite weather data for each location
  • Payouts graduated according to the severity of the weather

Results / Impact

We are delivering meaningful impact with consistent year on year growth in the number of farmers, sum-insured value and hectares protected

Testimonial

 

“With the last payout, I invested in fertilizers so that with good weather, I can have a good harvest. Else, we’d have needed loans, or our coffee production would’ve suffered.”

– Mario Davila Rios

 

“I have talked to my neighbors, friends and family members about how Café Seguro is a safety net that allows us to cultivate coffee with more peace of mind.” 

– Luz Marlene Betancourt Galliano