Most people start their day with coffee – whether it's a cappuccino, a latte, an Americano , a filter coffee or an espresso . Everyone loves this tasty, invigorating drink. Unfortunately, few people still realise that coffee is often associated with child labour, poor working conditions and exploitation . However, this current way of thinking is changing. Many people are more careful about what they eat and drink and, above all, where it comes from. As a result of this change, the coffee business has also changed – the trend is moving away from cheap goods and towards quality and the best taste .
In order for farmers in the countries of origin to be able to follow this trend, new social projects have been created in the coffee business in recent years. Most social projects in the coffee business involve training farmers in more productive cultivation and high-quality processing. We at the Wildkaffee Rösterei are also involved in some social projects in coffee! You can find out what social projects in coffee these are and how they are structured in the following lines! Elias Fischbacher from the Wildkaffee Rösterei wishes you lots of fun discovering.
What does a social project in coffee look like?
As mentioned at the beginning, the needs of coffee drinkers have changed worldwide in recent years. However, farmers in the countries of origin are only partially aware of this rapid change in thinking , so that they often become stuck in their structures and working methods and thus lose touch. This then ensures that the plantation is slowly but surely no longer productive enough . As a result, the closure of the farm is the logical consequence. However, this often happens in countries of origin that actually have excellent conditions for growing specialty coffee . Unfortunately, many farmers do not have the means to keep up to date with regular education on cultivation, processing, export and new trends and working methods. The technical equipment of the processing stations and plantations often leaves a lot to be desired! This is where social projects in coffee come into play!
Social projects in coffee - How can we help?
Through love of humanity, helpfulness and a lot of compassion, several social projects in coffee have been created over the years. The people behind such social projects in coffee usually have a long background in the world of coffee and have often been confronted with the problems that arise in the countries of origin. This problem must be solved sustainably!
This usually leads to the creation of new cooperatives so that several farmers can benefit at the same time and support each other. Social projects in coffee usually organize regular training courses on cultivation, processing, export, pricing and new varieties . In addition, joint processing plants are often created. Processing plants are expensive and their maintenance requires time and resources, which smaller farmers in particular cannot afford.
We support these social projects in coffee
Of course, we also participate in some social projects in coffee! As is well known, the fair and social principle is extremely important to us. Unfortunately, on our regular coffee trips to the countries of origin, we have not only seen beautiful things. Especially in African countries such as Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia, we were repeatedly confronted with catastrophic working conditions, child labor and exploitation. These impressions have had an impact on us. We have therefore consciously decided to only import coffee that has been cultivated and processed in accordance with our sustainable and social principles. Direct trade is, as you know, the magic word. But that is not enough for us! In order to achieve sustainable change in some countries of origin, we have consciously decided to participate in social projects in coffee!
Community Coffee Rwanda
Coffee from Rwanda is a real speciality. It is precisely the fine, straightforward notes of berries and other fruits that make the varieties from Rwanda something very special. However, most farmers in Rwanda are very old. Over the years, they have unfortunately neglected the care and attention given to their coffee plants, which is why quality, infrastructure and ultimately yields have declined rapidly. This forced some farmers to abandon their plantations or switch to other agricultural crops such as plantains, cassava, etc. The American Eric Wright took up these obstacles in 2017 - he founded the Community Coffee Rwanda Project (CCR)! Interestingly, Eric only developed his love for specialty coffee relatively late.
Before that, he worked as a lawyer in the USA. With the leasing agreement for his first washing station in the south of Rwanda, however, he embarked on a completely new professional path and from then on promoted the structures of specialty coffee cultivation in Rwanda . After two years and the successful structuring of several farms, Eric decided to expand! He invested in an area where coffee had not yet been cultivated and established additional plantations there. He also leased two more washing stations. The results are convincing across the board! Eric is now responsible for the existence of more than 800 farmers who, thanks to the helpful training, can deliver consistently high quality coffee. Since 2019 we have been purchasing our coffee from the CCR project and supporting Eric's work.
Coffee School Project
One of our pilot projects is the Buenos Aires Coffee School Project . A few years ago, El Salvador was still known for its unique specialty coffee. Due to crime, corruption, low prices and infected coffee plants, the coffee market in El Salvador came to a standstill... And this despite the fact that the country has perfect conditions for growing specialty coffee! The Buenos Aires region is located in the middle of a picturesque landscape, right next to the Santa Ana volcano. The unique location of this area, the nutrient-rich soil and the many abandoned plantations prompted us to act! Together with Rodolfo Ruffati, we bought one of these abandoned coffee farms. We are using this to offer local coffee farmers a new perspective. The social project in coffee offers the farmers full support with regard to new techniques, profitable cultivation, processing and support in selling the harvest.
In addition, shared processing facilities were created to reduce costs for smaller farmers . Together with the entire farming community, our social coffee project ensures that new varieties are grown and improved. This expands the farmers' portfolio, which gives them a powerful advantage in the flourishing coffee market. Here you can discover our project coffee from El Salvador as an individual country coffee in our online shop .
Social projects in coffee - promoting structures
We think that social projects in coffee are extremely important. Such projects raise awareness of the grievances that unfortunately still exist and are part of everyday life in the global coffee business! With our coffees, not just the project coffees, you are promoting fair and social structures , fair pay and safe living and working conditions!
Social projects in coffee - summarized!
Social projects in coffee generally promote local structures, working methods and trading practices. In many countries of origin, farmers have no prospect of investing in infrastructure, training and trading structures . This is why yields are falling, which is why some plantations have to close! To prevent this, social projects in coffee are being set up. We are also involved in some social projects in coffee - Community Coffee Rwanda & the Buenos Aires Coffee School Project. Through targeted training, expanding the portfolio and supporting sales, a community is created that grows and benefits together.
