![]() The deputy director, Chris Jordan, left his position in the Starbucks buying organization to move with his wife to Kigali, Rwanda. I am continually impressed by the experience and dedication of the individuals who come to work on these programs. It was all his, the results of his efforts and the guidance he had received. One Kenyan farmer, when being paid for his coffee by the coop, asked whether all the money was his, since it was more than he had ever received for his coffee. ![]() The early results are in, and some farmers have already doubled their income per pound of coffee, and they will begin to realize additional income from their higher yields in future seasons. Technoserve advisors focus their efforts on four key areas: first, agronomy and training, a crucial area where traditional farming and lack of knowledge about pruning and fertilizers typically produce yields about half that of more well-informed farmers second, installing wet mills that produce washed coffee (nearly all specialty coffees are washed) and training the operators in the new procedures, teaching them to cup coffees so they can recognize the improvements third, training in business management, including finances, and good governance of farmer groups and fourth, helping growers find market linkages with exporters or roasters to realize the economic benefits of their accomplishments. Technoserve has had many coffee projects worldwide over the past 40-plus years, and it continues an active program in Tanzania that began 10 years ago with a different donor sponsor. Other specialty firms have also taken delivery of coffee from the new project, and first reports are "over the moon" about the quality. The blend was introduced last fall to an excellent reception and brisk sales. Peet's Coffee is already so impressed with the quality progress that it has developed a completely new blend, Uzuri African Blend ( uzuri is Kiswahili for beauty). The remainder of their production can be sold in mainstream commercial channels. The objective is to assist 180,000 coffee farmers in Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia by establishing 288 new wet mills to process freshly picked coffee cherries, and to improve quality so that 10,000 metric tons can be sold to specialty buyers. The Coffee Initiative is a small part of Gates's overall development programs in East Arica, but it is a significant boost to the East African coffee sector. The four-year grant is envisioned as a first step in the Foundation's commitment to African coffee farmers. In January 2008, the Gates Foundation and Technoserve announced the grant with the goal of building a quality improvement program for coffee farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda, and it was later expanded to Ethiopia. After two weeks carrying Jane's camera bag on the Omo River in Ethiopia last month, we stopped in Addis Ababa at the offices of Technoserve to learn firsthand what progress was being made in the $47 million Coffee Inititative sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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