How do you take your coffee?
My go-to is the Nescafé GOLD Espresso in my favorite mug of the month, with Starbucks white chocolate mocha creamer added to it.
How has being part of the BIPOC community strengthened or challenged your experience in Canadian coffee?
I have lived and worked in Asia and South Asia for more than 20 years. Coffee is perceived and experienced differently in each of the countries. Specifically, in the countries I’ve worked in, Nescafe is seen as one of global stature and is the definition of coffee there. Today, as Canada’s tapestry has become so diverse, I wanted to bring a broader profile to how we position coffee and Nescafe, to ensure we create a more inclusive and respectful perspective. The role of coffee, the moments they drink their coffee, who they like to be with, where they drink their coffee and even how they drink their coffee is different in different cultures. And it is important that we bring it through the way we develop our coffees, the end cup delivery, the way we package our coffees and even through the way we sell our coffees take this broad perspective into account.
When working on an upcoming new campaign, I wanted to highlight the diversity of the Nescafe consumers and the countries they are from in an authentic way. So we travelled the world to find real people and how they consume Nescafe in their everyday life.. For example, in India, they will boil the milk, and then add the coffee and sugar to the heated milk. In China, they prefer the all-in-one mixes as on the go options. In Western Europe, they like their roast and ground, but also have Nescafe in the afternoon. In the Carribeans, you will see Nescafe sold on the streets. In Initial test with consumers were very positive, as they feel we respected and understood them and their communities.
If you could work towards ONE thing to increase diversity & inclusion in Canadian coffee, what would this be?
The world of coffee is constantly changing, and now accelerated with awareness and authentic appreciation of the diverse world we live in. There is no one definition of great coffee. I want to continue working towards bringing this diverse perspective to light in just how we do what we do, no matter if it’s in our portfolio, our communications to even how we talk to our consumers on a one-on-one basis. And in hopes, it will make coffee accessible to all, and enjoyed in truly the way they want it.
