A Wales based partnership is importing coffee which is helping Ugandan farmers cope with the impact of climate change thanks to funding from the Welsh Government’s Wales and Africa Programme.
The Coffee 2020 project is a partnership between Fair Dos Fair Trade shop in Cardiff, Ferrari’s Coffee Roasters of Pontyclun, the Wales Co-op Centre and a Ugandan Coffee Co-operative MEACCE. Together they have launched Jenipher’s Coffi – named after one of the Ugandan farmers who has visited Wales in recent years.
The launch builds on the strong link between Wales and the Mbale region of Uganda. Thousands of people from Wales have visited the area and a number of Welsh charities and groups support projects in the region. Farmers from the Mt Elgon Agroforestry Communities Cooperative (MEACCE) form an important part of the Mbale Tree Planting Programme supported by Welsh Government and the Size of Wales, which is planting 25 million trees by 2025. Last year severe flooding damaged many of the small coffee farms and this year COVID 19 has prevented many of their members from earning a living.
The coffee will be roasted by Ferraris, who have been hand roasting coffee in south Wales since 1927, and promoted across Wales by the partnership.
Following the delivery of the beans to Fair Dos, Deputy Minister and Chief Whip, Jane Hutt said:
“Wales has a long standing partnership with Mbale and we want to help those communities dealing with the emergencies of COVID 19 and climate change to be able to trade their way out of poverty.
“Wales became the world’s first Fair Trade Nation back in 2008 and our support for Coffee 2020 and Jenipher’s Coffi is a great way to help the Ugandan farmers working in harmony with nature, as they face the climate crisis.”
Jenipher Wetaka, Vice-Chair of the Mt Elgon Agroforestry Communities Cooperative said,
“MEACCE’s 3,000 farmers have been able to receive a much better price for their coffee thanks to this partnership, which is very important, particularly when we’re responding and adapting to the twin challenges of Covid-19 and the climate emergency. We have a strong connection with the people of Wales – they enjoy our high-quality coffee and they are happy to support us through FAIRTRADE – and we’re looking forward to building on this partnership.”
Jan Tucker, Founder, Director and Manager of Fair Dos Siopa Teg said,
“The idea of having Jeniphers’ coffee available to buy in Wales started ten years ago when she first visited Wales. It became clear in that time that many people were passionate about supporting farmers and their communities in Uganda to receive a better price for their high quality, FAIRTRADE certified, organically grown coffee. It’s fantastic to see this project come to fruition, and we’re excited to see this coffee being enjoyed across Wales.”
