Nespresso, Strategy & Story. What Else?
“If there’s a bad headline, George Clooney is the first to call us.”
That’s what Nespresso CEO Philipp Navratil said when I asked him how they communicate their sustainability efforts and the role of their brand ambassador.
George Clooney: More Than a Face
Clooney isn’t just a figurehead.
He visits a coffee farm every year and keeps a close eye on Nespresso’s sustainability programs.
When the headlines turn negative, he picks up the phone.
That’s not just PR savvy. It reflects the level of personal engagement some brands are lucky to have — and many more need to earn.
Sustainability Is Not a Department. It’s the Strategy.
For Nespresso, sustainability isn’t a PR strategy.
It is the business strategy.
Why?
“Without coffee, Nespresso is dead.” — Philipp Navratil
That’s why Nespresso invests more in sustainability than in R&D.
From Regenerative Farming to Regulatory Risk
We covered a lot of ground in the session — from regenerative agriculture to the complexities of EU deforestation compliance.
One insight that stuck: well-intentioned regulations can hurt the very farmers they aim to protect.
Take Rwanda and Burundi — smallholder farmers there often can’t provide geolocation data to prove deforestation-free supply chains. That makes compliance difficult, even when farming practices are sound.
The Communication Gap
Navratil’s responses were honest and insightful. Like others I’ve met at Nestlé, he was quick to admit:
“We can do better at communicating what we do.”
Given the nature of headlines, we get a lot of bad ones.
But a lot of companies do invest in doing the right thing.
When your sustainability outpaces your storytelling, you don’t get credit — you get questioned.
That’s why storytelling is no longer soft. It’s strategic.
Storytelling Is No Longer Soft
Thanks to University of St. Gallen’s Prof. Dr. Johanna Gollnhofer for moderating a rich conversation, and to Andreas Nef and team for hosting a stellar St. Gallen Symposium In Town event.
And thank you, Philipp Navratil and the Nespresso team, for making me feel even better about my morning cup of coffee.
♻️ Share this with a leader who’s navigating the tension between values and visibility.
Jyoti Guptara is a bestselling author, keynote speaker and story strategist. His Story-based consulting and training programs help leaders successfully implement strategy so they and their teams can experience more success with less stress.
Jyoti is a business storytelling expert based in Switzerland. He serves as MD of Europe at Momenta, a global corporate training company.