About Nescafé

Nescafe invented modern instant coffee, and the scale of that one innovation is hard to overstate. Nestle launched it in Switzerland in 1938 after years of research into a coffee that could be reconstituted without losing its character. It changed global habits permanently, making a decent cup possible without grinding or equipment, and the red mug became one of the most recognised pieces of packaging anywhere.

The range runs well beyond basic instant: the classic Original, the smoother freeze-dried Gold Blend, the Azera micro-ground range that blends soluble coffee with finely ground beans to close the gap to fresh, and a wide flavoured and cafe-style line. Sourcing runs through the Nescafe Plan, Nestle's long-running agronomy and responsible-sourcing programme that has distributed many millions of higher-yielding plantlets to farmers, with packaging moving to recyclable formats. For our shelf Nescafe is the dependable, universally understood instant cup. The Original is the workhorse, Gold Blend the smoother everyday step up, and Azera the one to point a customer towards when they want instant convenience but a cup that genuinely reads as ground coffee. It is not speciality coffee and never claimed to be. It is the most reliable, fastest, most consistent hot coffee a kitchen can make, from the brand that created the category and has spent more than eighty years refining it.

Key facts

• Invented Instant Coffee 1938 Nestlé launched Nescafé as the first commercial mass-market instant coffee in 1938, the global category-defining brand.
• Azera Micro-Ground Innovation Azera Americano brings real ground coffee particles into the instant format, the closest instant comes to brewed coffee.
• Gold Blend Premium Tier Gold Blend is the freeze-dried premium instant with flavoured variants (Rich Caramel, Smooth Vanilla, Alta Rica).
• Rainforest Alliance Certified Core supply chain Rainforest Alliance certified, supporting fair wages and biodiversity protection across coffee-growing regions.

The founders

Brand timeline

1. 1938 Nescafé invents instant coffee

   Nestlé launches Nescafé as the first commercial mass-market instant coffee, developed in response to a Brazilian Coffee Institute request to find a way to use surplus coffee beans. Nescafé becomes the global instant-coffee standard, distributed across more than 180 countries within decades.

2. 1965 Freeze-dried Gold Blend launches

   Gold Blend launches as the premium freeze-dried instant coffee tier, positioned as the cafe-style cup at home compared to standard spray-dried instant. Gold Blend becomes the British middle-class everyday standard.

3. 2010 Azera Americano launches

   Nescafé Azera Americano launches as a micro-ground instant coffee bringing real ground coffee particles into the cup, an Americano-style instant much closer to brewed coffee than freeze-dried Gold Blend.

4. 2018 Flavoured Gold Blend range expands

   The Gold Blend range expands with Rich Caramel, Smooth Vanilla and Alta Rica indulgent flavoured variants, positioning Gold Blend as the affordable cafe-style flavoured-coffee tier.

5. 2022 Rainforest Alliance + recyclable jars

   Nescafé commits to Rainforest Alliance certified coffee across the core range and transitions to fully kerbside recyclable glass jars across the Gold Blend and Azera lines.

6. 2026 Stocked at Teas.co.uk

   Hand-picked into curator selection: Azera Americano, Azera Americano Intense, Gold Blend Alta Rica, Gold Blend Rich Caramel and Gold Blend Smooth Vanilla.

Sustainability

Nescafé sits within the Nestlé Coffee sustainability framework with Rainforest Alliance certified coffee across the core range, fully kerbside recyclable glass jars across the Gold Blend and Azera lines, and the Nescafé Plan farming programme supporting coffee growers in Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam, Indonesia and other key growing regions. The brand has committed to 100% responsibly-sourced coffee by 2025 and reducing carbon footprint per cup across the supply chain.

• Rainforest Alliance Certified Core Nescafé range Rainforest Alliance certified across coffee-growing regions worldwide.
• Kerbside Recyclable Glass Jars Gold Blend and Azera in fully kerbside recyclable glass jars with kerbside-recyclable plastic lids.
• Nescafé Plan Farmer Programme The Nescafé Plan supports coffee growers in Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam and other key regions with training and direct relationships.
• 2025 Responsibly-Sourced Goal Brand commitment to 100% responsibly-sourced coffee by 2025.