Nespresso will expand its partnership with French coffee non-profit Café Joyeux into the United States (US), following three years of collaborating in Europe.
Café Joyeux employs individuals with intellectual and development disorders (IDD) and trains them to actively engage in the workplace. More than 30 Café Joyeux locations operate in France and abroad, employing more than 250 crew members with disabilities. More than 50 per cent of crew members employed by the café have intellectual and developmental disorders, and all are on permanent contracts.
According to a study by the company, 91 per cent of crew members have developed professional skills that reassure them for their future, and 93 per cent feel the training provided has improved their autonomy.
In addition to its café sites, Café Joyeux also sells retail coffee and tea products.
As part of the new US collaboration, Nespresso is has launched its Nespresso <3 Café Joyeux capsule, which it calls a “well-balanced Arabica blend with notes of sweet caramel and cereal”.
The Original capsule is set to launch in February 2026.
“After our success in Europe, we are thrilled to share Nespresso <3 Café Joyeux with our US friends knowing what an incredible impact it has had on the organisation and IDD community,” says Café Joyeux Co-Founder Yann Bucaille.
“In America, the country of inclusion and freedom to work, the collaboration has a big role to play for those who have been excluded from the economy because of their differences.”
CEO of Nespresso North America Alfonso Gonzalez Loeschen says the expansion of the brands’ partnership with comes down to an alignment of Nespresso’s belief in creating positivity through coffee.
“At Nespresso, we believe in the power of coffee as a force for good,” he says.
“Our evolving collaboration with Café Joyeux aims to embody joy, inclusivity, and authenticity and contribute to meaningful work opportunities for those with IDD.”
Nespresso has also pledged a minimum US$500,000 to support Café Joyeux in its mission to support individuals with IDD in the workplace.
Café Joyeux launched its first American site, located on New York’s Lexington Avenue, on World Down Syndrome Day (21 March) in 2024.
