Kagera – fair trade coffee from Tanzania

Video Kagera Cooperative Union Ltd (KCU), de Tanzania, una de las cooperativas de las que importan café las importadoras de la Coordinadora Estatal de Comercio Justo. El material está en inglés y dura diez minutos.

Kagera Cooperative Union Ltd (KCU) was established in early 1950 mainly to collect and market small producer coffee in Kagera region, North West of Tanzania. KCU is a voluntary association of 124 Primary Cooperative Societies representing over 90,000 small farmers of the mainly Robusta Coffee grown in Kagera region.
It has been involved in the promotion of Tanzanian coffee abroad, always focused on increased sales and higher remuneration for the farmer. Through active involvement with and direct selling into the Fair Trade market, KCU was able to pay its farmers up to 100 % more than generated through the commercial price.
As an organization of small coffee producers KCU has managed to link farmers to the coffee market, through Fair Trade, farmers are paid higher prices for their coffee compared to the producer who do not work with Fair trade, KCU has served as a firm base for small producers working with the Fair trade movement.
KCU is also involved with Export Promotion of Organic Products in Africa (EPOPA), whose objective is to promote innovative and environmentally sound farming techniques aimed at improving the well being of the community.