RE-POST

July 19, 2010

We were headed back out to visit with Ndumberi Coffee Grower’s Co-op Society. Raymond Gjtau Wanyugj was the Chairman of the co-op and extremely knowledgeable. He took the time to explain the coffee supply chain model in Kenya, how his co-op worked, and took me on a tour of their facility, which was originally opened in 1962 by the first Kenyan Prime Minister, Hon. Jommo Kenyatta. He explained the various levels of quality there are in coffee production, AA, AB, C, and PB, and shared with me that their biggest challenge is still to gain higher market share for their fair trade coffee. Despite all their coffee being fair trade produced, they simply do not sell enough as fair trade coffee because the demand is not there.

However, the facility still showed signs of benefiting from that which they are selling at fair trade premiums. There were latrines and a clean water supply tank branded with the statement “Fair Trade Premium” on them. Evidence that the premiums are being put to good use.

Ndumberi Coffee Co-op – a drinking water container and latrine established using fair trade premiums.