From Soil to Sale: Why You Should Feel Good About Drinking Little’s Nespresso Capsules

Let’s cut to it, does your coffee choice actually matter? Short answer: yes. Big time. Not all coffee is created equal, and most coffee on the shelves of your local supermarket comes with a hidden cost to the environment, the farmers, and inevitably, the yum-factor and quality of the coffee in your cup. At Little’s, we’re doing things differently. Our coffee capsules are filled with more than just great-tasting coffee. Every sip supports a better supply chain, providing great taste, and greater impact. That’s just how we roll.

So, what exactly is the process and why does it matter?

Traceability, traceability, traceability. And no, we’re not summoning some ancient spirit, but we are doubling down on the importance of visibility throughout the coffee making process to ensure that you're provided with an ethereal experience in every single cup.

-          Our coffee begins in its country of origin as cherries on trees, nurtured by small-scale farmers in Honduras and Peru who are provided with agronomy, business and financial support, to allow for sustainable farming methods and great quality beans.

-          The ripe coffee cherries are then hand-picked, processed, and taken to local mills where they are sorted, graded, and quality checked to ensure they hit a certain set of physical, defect and flavour parameters.

-          Once they’ve hit the required quality standard (more about that later), they are bagged and exported to the UK, where they are bought by, you guessed it, the best coffee company to ever exist (that’s us, duh!).

-          We then pack them into capsules so we can sell those bad boys to all of you and make your day. You’re welcome.

Basically, our coffee can be traced all the way from Little’s to the warehouse, to the ship, to the mill, to the individual farm that it came from, which is pretty cool.

Traceability creates knowledge and transparency, so when we promise quality, we really mean it, and we can prove it. Our relationships throughout the entire supply chain mean we can bring you exceptional coffee with no funny business along the way.

Little’s and its quality incentive

The coffee we source for our capsules is specialty grade. But what does that actually mean? Coffee graded as ‘speciality’ has achieved a quality score that exceeds 80 points on an internationally agreed scoring system. In fact, the coffee in our capsules score in excess of 83 points, representing the very best quality beans on the planet.

But speciality grade isn’t just about great taste. It’s also a way for farmers to earn a better living by receiving a quality bonus for every kilo of speciality coffee they grow. This creates a quality incentive where farmers are motivated to, and supported in growing amazing coffee in more sustainable, thoughtful ways.

Yeah, yeah very impressive. But is it sustainable?

Short answer, yes. Long answer? At Little’s, we’re playing the long game. We’re not just sourcing good coffee, we’re helping build a coffee supply chain that’s healthy today, tomorrow, and in the long haul.

-          At face value: we’ve chosen aluminium for our Nespresso compatible capsules. An infinitely recyclable eco-friendly superstar with a lower carbon life cycle than any other coffee capsule material. It’s light, durable, and keeps your coffee fresh longer, which means less waste all around. It’s a win, win!

-          Behind the scenes: we’re working with farmers to grow their businesses in ways that doesn’t sacrifice quality or the planet. For example, through smarter crop management, access to funding and loans, and sharing knowledge around sustainable business practices, from pricing and costing to environmental care. We’re also big on waste management, like reusing coffee cherries as fertiliser. It’s all about supporting smaller farms with better biodiversity, healthier soil, and lower emissions.

So, what does this mean for your brew?

It means tangible benefits that you can genuinely feel good about! Thanks to our rigorous quality standards our coffee capsules taste exactly how coffee should - vibrant, complex, and bursting with rich, pronounced flavour profiles. No need to roast the beans to death to mask bad flavours.

By choosing Little’s coffee capsules you’re not just drinking coffee. You’re making a simple, yet powerful decision to help the environment and support communities. Crafted with care from farm to capsule. That’s coffee that truly matters.