TO THE COFFEE CUPFrom the Rainforest

Back in 2003, wild coffee was known to the farmers of the Ethiopian rainforest only. The rare plant was collected for private consumption. It was not profitable for the local farmers until a development initiative, featuring Original Food brought together the wild coffee collectors in the South and the coffee connaisseurs in the North.

1 Few people associate the East African country of Ethiopia with a steamy rainforest. Even though only parts of the for-

merly vast forest in the south-west remain, its remnants conti-nue to harbor many species of animals and plants that are native to no other part of the world. One such type is Coffea arabica, the most precious of the coffee species. It first grew here thousands of years ago and this is the only place in which it continues to grow wild in the forest. With its undreamt-of biological diversi-ty it represents a genetic treasure house of enormous value for mankind.

2Coffea arabica is an evergreen plant that grows where it is protected and shaded by

other trees. Its preferred natural habitat is the lower stories of the

mountain rainforest, at altitu-des between 1,400 and 2,000

meters. With the first rain after the dry season in February, the trees

and bushes produce white flowers on thin

branches, permeating the forest with their

pervasive scents.

4 The inhabitants of the present-day province of

Kafa have presumably been using the coffee berries for more than thousand years. They also discovered how to roast the beans and drink the liquid. In the past, the farmers mainly picked the wild-growing fruits for their own purpose and sold the surplus on local markets.

6The fermentation of the seed, which is responsible for the delicate flavor of the Arabica coffee begins during

the drying process of the berries. During several weeks, the smallholders sun dry the coffee berries on drying beds. The red cherries are regularly moved on the mesh which ensures good ventilation and a consistent drying. This traditional me-thod of fermentation is superior to the commercial process, which involves removing the flesh of the coffee berry in a wa-ter bath and robs the coffee of its wild, spicy and fruity notes.

3 Nine months after flourishing, the coffee plants bear red,

cherry-like fruits. The sweet, slippery flesh conceals two

seeds, flattened on their inner side: the green, rock-hard

‘coffee beans‘. Depending on the location in the Ethiopian

highlands, the plants have adapted to the different growing

conditions and eventually developed a great number of different varieties.

5For the best quality of the coffee, only the red, ripe berries are picked. Within the ripening time

farmers check the status of the cherries for several times on long distance walks through the forest. They only take the ripe ones and wait for the green ones to become red until their next check. Walking through the forests, they never cut bushes or trees, but only take out the fruits of the forests.

8 The small-scale farmers of the southwestern provin-ces in Ethiopia typically live from the goods of their

fields. Coffee is the only product that now enables them to gain additional income from. With the aid of the project with Original Food, more than 8000 farmers are now organised into 43 cooperatives. The profit from this business has increa-sed the value of the coffee forests. It has become of their own substantial interest to make use of the forests’ non-timber products in accordance with its preservation - the healthy forest is their guarantee for good income.

11After a long journey, the rare product from the homeland of coffee reaches the coffee

cups of the consumers. Since the beginning of the project in 2004, it has exceeded all

expectations: the smallholders of the region now have the means of impro-

ving their economic position without further assistance. The knowledge that

their exceptional product is valued and appreciated in other parts of the world provi-des them an incentive to continue investing in quality and in preserving the natural basis of

their business – the rainforest, without whose protective, shady roof the wild coffee cannot flourish.

...AND THE SMALLHOLDERS PROFIT

7 Following the sun drying process, the dried fruits are husked in a mill to release their core: the green coffee

beans. With the possibility of exporting their wild coffee, the farmers in the region have started forming cooperatives. An umbrella organisation, the Kafa Forest Coffee Farmers Coope-rative Union, was supported to set up, which in 2004, was granted its own export licence. Ever since the coffee has been exported directly through the Union, bypassing middlemen. The additional profit is distributed to the cooperatives’ mem-bers and invested in improving the local infrastructure.

A sample taken from each lot of coffee that leaves Ethiopia is quality-checked by the government

monitoring scheme. For a long time, wild coffee was regar-ded as being of lower quality. However, since the Kafa Forest Coffee Farmers Union and experts from Original Food and its partners have become involved in improving production conditions, this view has changed and the wild coffee is now a hallmark product of the coffee-growing country of Ethiopia.

From Addis Ababa, lorries transport

the coffee to the coast of Djibouti where it is ship-

ped in containers. Once the green coffee beans arrive

in Europe,they are roasted in small quantities at low

temperature, which reveals their unique delicacy.

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Lush ancient forests, giant trees, wide treetops, red soil, cool shadow and high humidity – this is not what we think of when it comes to Ethiopia. Nevertheless not more than 50 years ago, dense forests with exactly these characteristics had formed more than 40% of the country´s landscape. It has changed dramatically: today, less than 3% of the country´s size is covered by the once so typical cloudy rainforests – unique ecosystems with a precious biodiversity that play an important role for the climate and as a genetic ressource for all different types of species.

PRESERVING ETHIOPIA` SWild Beans

FROM WITHINDevelopment

Kafa in the southwest of Ethiopia is one of the few regions in the country that is home to the remaining natural forests. Among almost 900 species of plants and animals that are found here it is particularly noteworthy for being the birthplace of Coffea ara-bica. Until today this primary coffee grows wild under the cover of the huge tree canopy. To preserve this unique natural treasure hand in hand with the local people, almost 15 years ago, Original Food has started to build up a strong partnership including inter-national NGOs, private companies and the German Association of International Cooperation (GIZ).

The idea is quite simple, but very effective: Create an economic incentive to sustainably use the non-timber forest products and thereby protect their natural habitat. Wild coffee is being picked by the local people and Original Food pays very high prices for this treasure. Wild coffee – and simoultaneously the rainforests – have become source of income for more than 8.000 farmers selling to Original Food. Forest protection has thus become a ge-nuine interest of the local people and is now commonly secured.

In 2015, the project in Kafa was extended to the neighbouring rainforest of Sheka, where Original Food, in cooperation with GIZ and the German company Tuchel & Sohn GmbH has now started to build up sustainable wild coffee and honey value chains based on the successful model of the longterm collaboration with the farmers in Kafa.

Behind the scenes things are complex. Nevertheless the concept of ‘sustainable trade for natural preservation‘ has proved to be forceful: the rapid deforestation in Kafa has evidently slowed down and will supposingly do so in Sheka from now on. At the same time the number of people who can live off the earnings of the wild coffee trade with Original Food has increased to around 80.000.

THE RIGHT PRICE FOR QUALITY

From the beginning it was clear: the wild coffee had the potential to be a high quality product. But structures were needed, buil-dings, storage facilities, as well as assistance in quality impro-vement measures and incentives to build up the value chain in accordance with forest protection.

For the first time the wild coffee was valued by people from outside the region – a fact that local people are very proud of. Besides the extraordinary prices that Original Food paid from the start, the company and its partners combined the trade with a broad benefit for the region and also supported to establish ne-cessary contacts at the policy-making level, the availability of local experts and to build up the experience with international operations.

With the support of the project’s members and the local government the farmers set up quality control systems and organised central collecting points. Finally, the cooperatives – of which there are now only in Kafa 38, involving more than 8.000 farmers – set up an umbrella organisation, the Kafa Forest Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative Union. With its own export licence, the Farmers’ Union is able to directly ship the wild coffee to the port of Djibouti, from where it can be exported, without having to employ middlemen. The full amount paid by Original Food for the wild coffee therefore benefits the whole community as it can be disbursed among the cooperative members without losses.

PROGRESS ON ALL FRONTS

The project’s involvement shows considerable improvement in terms of the local production of high-quality, sustainably harves-ted wild coffee. Its activities in forest conservation even led to the establishment of the first Ethiopian UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Kafa in 2010.

Since the project has been established, managers and book-keepers have been appointed, offices and storage facilities have been set up. In 2016, the Farmers’ Union in Kafa has opened its own de-hulling station which offers them autonomy in the pro-cessing of the sundried coffee beans. The project continues to promote the regional development and ensures the longterm conservation of the remaining forests.

By permitting sustainable use of their resources in line with the biosphere reserve approach wild varieties and the genetic diver-sity can be preserved while the number of farmers benefitting from the trade in wild coffee constantly increases.

IN ETHIOPIA ORIGINAL FOOD COLLABORATES WITH THE FOLLOWING ORGANISATIONS:

Kafa Forest Coffee Farmers‘ Cooperative UnionTeppi Coffee Farmers‘ Cooperative UnionGEO schützt den Regenwald e.V. NABU - Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V.Foundation for World PopulationGerman Association of Cooperation (GIZ)

SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT

Before project start Now

Annual export of certified wild coffee 0 0 up to 350 tonnesNumber of cooperatives 0 in Kafa 38 in Kafa

5 in ShekaNumber of farmers organised in wild coffee cooperatives

0 8.450 in Kafa514 in Sheka

Cooperative warehouses 0 32Number of people profiting from the exportof wild coffee

0 ca. 80.000

EXPERIENCE THE EXQUISITE TASTE OF ETHIOPIAN WILD COFFEE

After the long journey from the Ethiopian rainforest to our warehouse in Hamburg, the wild beans are traditio-nally and slowly roasted in small quantities. This gentle processing accentuates the incomparable delicacy of the wild coffee.

ORIGINAL FOOD GmbH | Kartäuserstr. 61 | 79104 Freiburg | Tel. 0761 28 28 90 | www.originalfood.de | www.kaffaland.de

Information updated in dec. 2016