PR84701

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, July 8, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

- 300 new jobs created over the next 10 years in a world class 'sustainable by

design' production center

Today, Nespresso announced a CHF 160 million investment to expand its Romont

production center in Switzerland to meet increasing consumer demand for its

high-quality premium coffees and support international development in the

coming years.

"Despite the challenging times we have all been living in, this strategic long

term investment reconfirms Nespresso's continuous business success and

leadership in the portioned coffee segment, which we pioneered back in 1986,"

said Guillaume Le Cunff, CEO of Nespresso. "It also demonstrates our continued

commitment to our Swiss roots and to the long term economic development of the

region and the country, with which we share values of quality, innovation and

expertise."

"These are the kind of announcements that feel good in times of crisis.

Nespresso confirms that large international groups can produce competitively in

our region. It's also an investment that strengthens our region in the

bio-economy field with which I'm very pleased," said Olivier Curty, State

Councillor and Director of Economic Affairs and Employment at the Canton of

Fribourg.

The construction of the second production hall is set to start in June 2021. It

will result in an augmented capacity of 10 new production lines dedicated to

producing Nespresso coffees for the Vertuo and Professional ranges and the

creation of 300 new direct jobs in the next 10 years while increasing third

party employment and local and regional business development. The first new

production lines are expected to be fully operational by June 2022.

The Romont factory, inaugurated in 2015, is the center of excellence for the

production of Nespresso's Vertuo coffees now available in 21 countries across

North America, Europe and Asia. Vertuo is a versatile system that makes freshly

brewed coffee in 5 different cup sizes using the innovative Centrifusion(TM)

technology that recognizes the bar code on the capsule and adjusts the amount

of water, speed of extraction and temperature to deliver a perfect cup of

coffee.

In the last two years, Nespresso strengthened its operations in Romont with the

addition of 4 new production lines and the creation of 50 new jobs, while

inaugurating a new Product Development Center and a Coffee Campus in 2018,

fostering coffee innovation and expertise.

A positive impact on the local economy

All Nespresso coffees distributed worldwide are produced in Switzerland. Over

the past 10 years, in addition to ongoing investment in its business, Nespresso

has invested CHF 700 million in its three Swiss-based production centers in the

cantons of Vaud and Fribourg. Sustainably grown coffee beans are transformed

into the highest quality coffees through the know-how and passion of more than

1,000 skilled factory employees.

"Thanks to Nespresso, Romont has become the reference for coffee. This new

investment is a gift for an entire region and the pursuit of an extraordinary

adventure. It is up to us, political leaders, to ensure that everyone finds

their place in a healthy and sustainable development. With our small and

medium-sized businesses, and companies like Nespresso, if the "Little Prince"

was Glânois, he would certainly say "I have always loved this region. We sit on

the hill, we close our eyes, we drink our coffee, we guess the flavors and

something shines in silence," said Willy Schorderet, Prefet de la Glane.

"Good news for our municipality as we see the objectives Nespresso gave us at

the beginning of the project being achieved. Romont will be able to position

itself as a city of international influence and excellence. Romont, the expert

city for Glass and Coffee, here is a slogan we could use for the promotion of

our city," said Jean Denis Cornu, Vice-syndic for the town of Romont.

Over the past 10 years Nestle has invested, on average, CHF 300 million every

year in its infrastructures and operations in Switzerland. Strongly rooted in

its home country, Nestle has 11 production centers and 4 Research & Development

sites located in Switzerland.

The first LEED(R) Gold certified production center in Switzerland

While investing in supporting its operations, Nespresso is also committed to

its sustainability ambition, that every cup of Nespresso coffee has a positive

impact on the world. All three Nespresso production centers are 'zero waste to

landfill' and production processes have been optimized to ensure heat and water

are recovered and reused whenever possible. In the existing facility in Romont,

the heat from the coffee roasters is recovered and used to pre-heat the green

coffee and the factory itself. Any excess heat is redistributed to the local

community.

Romont was the first production center in Switzerland, and thus the first

factory for Nestle in Switzerland as well, to achieve the LEED(R) Gold

certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) in 2015. The new

production hall announced today will be built based on the same LEED(R)

principles that have guided the construction of the Romont production center

back in 2015.

This certification not only covers the energy and water-efficiency of an

industrial building, it also weighs aspects such as employees' health and

wellbeing at the workplace, and infrastructure for environmentally friendly

mobility. Some examples of the various initiatives carried out by Nespresso to

meet the LEED(R) requirements include the use of 20% recycled construction

materials and an 18% decrease of the site's energy consumption thanks to heat

recovery from the roasters, triple glazing and the use of LED lighting. The

LEED(R) certification extends Nespresso's sustainability commitments and forms

part of its global sustainability strategy, The Positive Cup.

Facts and figures about the Nespresso Production Center in Romont

- Third Nespresso production center in Switzerland (2015), after Orbe (2002)

and Avenches (2008) – worldwide production in Switzerland

- Total investment in infrastructures and operations (since creation): CHF 445

million

- Total investment in production facilities in Switzerland since 2010: CHF 700

million

- Total site area: 11 hectares (15 football fields)

- New production hall surface area: 1 hectare or 10'000m2 (1.5 football

fields) for filling and packing lines, roasting and logistics

- Construction duration: 1 year

- Current number of Nespresso employees on the site: 368

- Production of Vertuo and Professional coffees

- First LEED(R) Gold certified production centre in Switzerland, first Nestle

LEED(R) certified production center in Switzerland

About Nestle Nespresso

Nestle Nespresso SA is the pioneer and reference for highest-quality portioned

coffee.  The company works with more than 110,000 farmers in 14 countries

through its AAA Sustainable Quality(TM) Program to embed sustainability

practices on farms and the surrounding landscapes. Launched in 2003 in

collaboration with the NGO The Rainforest Alliance, the program helps to

improve the yield and quality of harvests, while protecting the environment and

improving livelihoods of farmers and their communities. Headquartered in

Lausanne, Switzerland, Nespresso operates in 84 countries and has 14,250

employees. In 2019, it operated a global retail network of 810 boutiques. The

brand currently has more than 100'000 points to collect its used capsules

globally, enabling 91% of its consumers to recycle.

For more information, visit the Nespresso corporate website

www.nestle-nespresso.com.  

Photo -

https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1201365/Nespresso_Vertuo_coffee_capsules.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1201366/Nespresso_Romont.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1201367/Nespresso_Logo.jpg

SOURCE: Nespresso