Producing Specialty and Certified Coffee
Coffee Export has been working with 667 out-grower farmers from three localities called Shantawene, Bombe and Keramo for certifying their farms along with our farm as organic (NOP, EU and JAS), Café Practice, UTZ and Rainforest Alliance in SidamaAll coffee were audited and prepared the standards set to meet the above certifications and they are prepared as the specialty coffee shining across the globe.
As it is our commitment to help in improving the lives of our coffee always engage ourselves in providing trainings on good practices of farming in with local expertise from Coffee and Tea Authority and other coffee buyers like the Starbucks. We also supply coffee seeds of varieties which are suitable for the soils of the region and organic composts from coffee pulps.
Celebration Day
On June 29, 2019 we celebrated coffee farmers’ day in Bensa in the presence of Ato Fikru from Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority, Ato Behailu W/Senbet, a country manager for Starbucks and Ato Zelalem Girma Bayu of Catalyst Trade. Local government officials from Bensa and the surrounding districts were also and participated in handing the farmers with prizes.
Ato Asefa Dukamo, Owner and Managing Director of Daye Bensa Coffee Export, made an opening speech addressing more than one thousand people who joined us to celebrate a big day, with appreciation and thanking everyone who contributed towards the success of his company. He mainly thanked member farmers who followed strict procedures in supplying quality we had to face internal challenges and that of low coffee price globally. He said, he is so that our coffee will pay everybody back as long as we work hard and stick together towards sustainability. He called upon nonmember farmers to join us so that more coffee will be produced with no compromises on quality.
Ato Fikru of Coffee and Tea Authority has also addressed the participants with words of encouragement and with a clarification of a new law that created a platform for farmers to have direct and vertical integration with exporters like Daye Bensa Coffee, to ensure traceability and sustainability are maintained at all times for better result and income.
Ato Behailu of Starbucks has also thanked the farmers and all stakeholders in engaging themselves in producing and supplying quality coffee of café practice standards. He promised that Starbucks will work hand in hand with farmers and Daye Bensa Coffee in providing trainings and all other necessary support so that the farmers will benefit the most.
Our company handed the farmers with bank saving books opened last year against each member farmer as a second payment. We also handed over 500 dozens of exercise books and 10 dozens of pens to head teachers from five primary schools in three of Shantawene, Bombe and to be distributed among the children the poorest farmers. Top quality coffee suppliers from each locality were awarded additional financial prizes as incentives and to motivate others. Lastly, all member farmers and invited ones (who already applied for to become members this year) were served with lunches. In addition to costs towards the purchase of T-shirts and caps and lunches our company made a second payment of Birr 2.5 million in aggregate.
A closing speech was delivered by Ato Berhanu Mude, Deputy Head of Bensa District Administration that in the past this type of payments used to be made by co-ops only, now when the new coffee law allows private companies to reach more coffee farmers it is his office’s duty to encourage coffee exporters to engage themselves more so that even farmers from surrounding localities to from that. He also assured that his office will work towards a maintenance of the rule of law in the region and also encouraged other farmers to become members of this scheme to themselves in supplying quality coffee exercising a good agricultural practices.
Finally, Ato Workneh Adela from Shantawene Kebele delivered a speech representing all member farmers expressed his happiness with benefits they received as a second payment and promised to supply even better quality coffee even everyone to be awarded their coffee being sold at better prices.A closing speech was delivered by Ato Berhanu Mude, Deputy Head of Bensa District Administration saying that in the past this type of payments used to be made by co-ops only, now when the new coffee law allows private companies to reach more coffee farmers it is his office’s duty to encourage coffee exporters to engage themselves more so that even farmers from surrounding localities to benefits from that. He also assured that his office will work towards a maintenance of the rule of law in the region and also encouraged other farmers to become members of this scheme to benefits themselves in supplying quality coffee exercising a good agricultural practices. Finally, Ato Workneh Adela from Shantawene Kebele delivered a speech representing all member farmers expressed his happiness with benefits they received as a second payment and promised to supply even better quality coffee even everyone to be awarded their coffee being sold at better prices.