March 2005

By Chris Treter

The cradle of humanity and the birthplace to coffee, Ethiopia is a vibrant country where the few foreigners that visit are greeted with open arms. This March we spent a far-too-short nine days with the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (OCFCU), traveling to the Sidamo region and the tiny town of Yirgacheffe to meet with five of their member cooperatives while chasing monkeys through the coffee fields and searching for hot springs in the bottom of a volcanic crater on horseback.

OCFCU is an extremely well organized organization with the responsibility of processing, marketing, and commercializing coffee for 74 cooperatives – comprised of 68,691 members and 343,455 total family members. This year, OCFCU produced 81,596 tons of coffee (30,415 which is organic) with 48 depulping stations, 15 hulling stations and 63 warehouses in growing communities. OCFCU was the first cooperative union to bypass the Ethiopia's government auction.

Our journey to Sidamo and Yirgacheffe began with a journey through the savannah to the lush forest – a 400-mile ride south of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Along the way we interrogated the driver and guide, Musgabe, and the OCFCU cupper and processing specialist, Telahoon, about the story of coffee in Ethiopia. At each cooperative we visited growing fields, drying stations, and development projects being constructed with Fair Trade coffee premiums, meeting an array of cooperative leaders and members. We were impressed with the level of organization at each stop along the way.

A Taste of the Fair Trade Coffee Co-ops

Kilenso Mokonisa (or roughly translated to the Meeting Tree where the Wind Howls) Co-op is a prime example of an organization in action to improve their community and produce award winning coffees. As part of OCFCU, they can bypass the national auction to sell directly to buyers like Higher Grounds. This year's coffee harvest won 3 awards for quality. Members are currently constructing their first school with fair trade premiums! Many challenges abound, however. The co-op has very little infrastructure for transporting themselves and their beans, they do not have access to a medical clinic, and most walk a long distance to fetch water.

Homa Cooperative in Yirgacheffe was formed in 1985 and currently has 967 members. All the members have been certified Fair Trade and organic for the past three years.This year the co-op has decided to use all Fair Trade coffee premiums to build a clinic. Currently, community members must walk nearly 20 miles for medical care. The new clinic – made of tef (one of the oldest cultivated grains in the world) bale walls – will service more than 2,000 people. A trained health expert will come from the government to treat patients. The coop is also constructing two schools with fair trade premiums. And while it was wonderful to see Fair Trade coffee premiums at work on the construction of schools and clinics, we were quick to note the desperate situation the majority of the population continues to face. The site of malnourished children and the obvious lack of basic services will not soon escape our memories.

Fair Trade Coffee Premiums at Work

Upon entering the grounds of Godina Booronna Aana Abbaayaa School, it became quickly evident that we were about to disrupt the function of the entire school (our presence was similar to what a fire alarm would do at a school here in the U.S.). Not being accustomed to foreigners, the students poured out of their classrooms to greet us as we chatted with their teacher, Gurmeesaa Taammirrat. He informed us that the majority of the 760 students at the school were children of coffee farmers. The school year lasts 10 months, and the children varied between the ages of 7 and 13. Each classroom currently holds between 60 to 100 children. The new wing of the school, being built with fair trade coffee premiums, would bring welcome relief to students and the staff of 11 teachers alike!.