The Challenge

THE NESPRESSO AAA SUSTAINABLE QUALITY™ MBA CHALLENGE 2013

The world’s leading premium portioned coffee brand Nestlé Nespresso is announcing an exciting global competition to all MBA schools around the world.

The brand, with its unique capsule technology and exclusive club-driven distribution model is now available in more than 50 countries. The company has committed itself to sustainability through its Ecolaboration™ platform.

At the heart of the brand success of Nespresso lays its commitment to exceptional cup quality. However, by 2007 it was clear to Nespresso that consumers expected more of it. So too did the senior management of Nespresso. Real brand leadership was not just about selling a unique, high quality product, but also about ensuring that the social and environmental performance of that product spoke with the same authority as its quality.

Nespresso’s CEO Richard Girardot had already committed the company to the concept of Creating Shared Value: “We are a part of Nestlé – Nestlé has committed to ‘Shared Value’ as an operating principle.” This principle, developed by Harvard Professors Michael Porter and Mark Kramer in 2006, maintained that companies had a responsibility to create and share value not just for shareholders but also for the communities in which they operated – from farmers through to customers and ultimately consumers.

Nespresso now wishes that smart young minds from around the world to think about and come up with innovative ideas related to sustainable quality coffee sourcing from hundreds and thousands of smallholder coffee farmers in Latin America and other parts of the world.

3 finalists will be invited to present to a group of the worlds leading business and sustainability experts at Nespresso MBA Challenge final event to be held in June 2013. The three best proposals will be invited to present in Europe and also have the opportunity to contribute to the development of Nespresso’s strategy. The winning team will be invited by Nespresso on an exciting week-long visit to a key coffee producing country, at all costs paid, and meet local stakeholders of Nestlé-Nespresso value chain. There they will have the opportunity to present and discuss their proposal in person.

Key information and dates:

  • Registration deadline: February 25th 2013 (Registration is now closed)
  • Case study release: March 8th 2013
  • Submission of team proposals: March 25th 2013
  • Round One: by March 2013
  • Round Two: by April 2013
  • Selection of Finalists: May 1st
  • MBA Challenge Event in Switzerland: 26th, 27th, 28th

Latin America’s leading Business School INCAE, in partnership with Nespresso’s advisors the Sustainable Markets Intelligence Centre (CIMS) will be organizing, managing and administering this global MBA Challenge. All information will be found through website sustainabilitymbachallenge.com on criteria, rules, FAQs, registration and much more. We invite you to visit regularly for updates on this exciting new challenge.