Digital stakeholders, online celebrities commend Nescafé Classic First Pick website

MANILA, Philippines - The Nescafé Classic First Pick has received good reviews from Internet mavens, bloggers and opinion-makers of digital media.

The website, which educates coffee lovers about their favorite beverage, also has an interactive feature that allows consumers to do something good for local coffee farmers through the adoption of a Li’l Beanie.

Overall, the website is being praised for provide both an educational and socio-civic experience — in an effective yet fun, light-hearted way.

“The website delivers information in a way that is easy to understand, and not too technical for a general audience. The information is very concise too,” says Ed Geronia, a member of the Cyberpress IT Journalists Association of the Philippines and editor-in-chief of the Megateam Corp.’s group of websites.

This same evaluation is given by respected blogger Jay Jaboneta, who says, “It’s very simple and very brief that’s why you tend to remember how coffee is grown and made.”

To join in the program, consumers must bring home a jar of Nescafé Classic First Pick and take note of the “Li’l Beanie Code” — a series of numbers and letters — printed on the label. Then they must log-on to the website (www.nescafe.com.ph/firstpick) and type in the special code. This allows them to access video clips, stories, trivia and other information about coffee.

Each time a consumer types in the Li’l Beanie Code at the website, a coffee seedling is donated in their name to a coffee farmer. This same code will also allow them to click on a Li’l Beanie icon and “adopt” a virtual coffee bean and plant it in a virtual farm.

This virtual coffee bean or Li’l Beanie is the online version of the actual coffee seedling that is given to a coffee farmer. Each seedling that a farmer receives is from a high-yielding variety that is resistant to pests, diseases, and environmental stress.

Thanks also to the site’s interactive Flash format, Nescafé is able to reach out beyond their typical usual audience, according to IT journalism pioneer Jerry Liao.

The experts say that the Nescafé Classic First Pick website’s simple and streamlined design also helps visitors to stay longer on the site.

“It’s very simple, so even if you’re not Web-savvy, you could find your way around the site,” says Geronia.

“When you open the site, design-wise, it’s quite pleasing to the eyes; it’s not cluttered,” says Liao.

For its coffee-loving visitors, Nescafé Classic First Pick website’s most significant impact will be realized offline. Liao says consumers will finish going through the site smarter and more knowledgeable about coffee. This, he says, will result in an even better coffee experience for consumers.

“After knowing how their coffee is made and how many people are actually benefiting from coffee production, I think coffee drinkers will be able to enjoy and appreciate their coffee more,” says Liao.

For Jaboneta, the social aspect of using the website — the fact that the seedling contributions will benefit the livelihood of coffee farmers and their families — will also make consumers feel good.

“It makes consumers realize that something they do every day, like drinking coffee, is already benefiting farmers and their families,” adds Jaboneta.

Be part of the harvest of the future. Visit www.nescafe.com.ph/firstpick and register the special code found on each jar of Nescafé Classic First Pick.

To know more about Nescafé Classic First Pick and this program, call the Nestlé Care hotline 898-0061.