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(EAST AFRICAN - KENYA) Nyeri farmers smell the coffee at Starbucks funded value-addition lab

Nyeri farmers smell the coffee at Starbucks funded value-addition lab
Posted Monday, December 13 2010 at 17:54

A common joke in Central Kenya is that if you wanted to buy a kiondo, (a traditional woven basket) you would have to travel to Nanyuki, 50 kilometres away where they are sold to tourists.

Consequently, one would be hard pressed to find a tourist in Nyeri Town, the headquarters of Central province, outside the two major tourist hotels of Outspan and Treetops.

But one-of-a-kind laboratory in Nyeri, seeks to change this, by adding value to coffee grown in the region, and hopefully in time create a coffee safari circuit.

The Kimathi University College of Technology (KUCT) has set up a coffee testing laboratory, which assesses the quality of the local farmers’ crop, allowing them to appreciate what a buyer looks for in coffee, and increasing their bargaining power with millers.

The laboratory processes samples of coffee beans brought in by the farmers themselves, or by farmers’ co-operative societies. The grade of coffee is then determined by several factors — the moisture content, quality of the bean, of the roast and of the cup.

Funded by international retail coffee giant Starbucks via the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), and opened in November 2009, the lab seeks to empower the community by providing a way to determine the grade of their coffee, in so doing giving them a rough estimate of the value of their crop.

Specific corrective measures, such as increasing the application of a particular fertiliser, can then be taken.

Previously, farmers delivered beans to millers, who did the assessment themselves and then declared what the grade of the coffee was, and dictated how much they would pay for the crop.

The farmer was completely excluded from this process. Now, farmers’ bargaining power with millers has been increased, as they have a way of knowing in advance how much their crop is worth before delivering it to millers.

Giving farmers access to this valuable information allows farmers to get the real value for their crop and boosts the coffee industry in this area. Joseph ole Sarisar, senior assistant registrar in the Directorate of Research, shares the vision that KUCT has for the coffee industry.

“Our long term goal is to influence a local tourism circuit for agro-tourism in the region, a ‘coffee safari,’” says Mr ole Sarisar.

“Most tourists who come to this region visit only Mt Kenya, the Aberdares and Outspan or Treetops hotels. Yet we are growing some of the best coffee in the world — some of these tourists might be drinking Nyeri coffee every morning back home. Taking them on a coffee tour is an innovative tourism angle worth exploring.”

Mr ole Sarisar notes that most coffee farmers, and indeed most Kenyans, do not drink coffee, preferring tea instead. KUCT wants to change this.

“We want to promote a coffee drinking culture, and target hotels as an outlet market for locally processed coffee. Farmers have been selling coffee, but have never tasted the coffee that they have grown. We are taking farmers through a ‘tasting training,’ in which they can gain an appreciation of what buyers look for, whether it is the aroma, robustness, or subtle nuances of flavour.”

AWF funding helped to set up the lab. The foundation believes that working with farmers to develop ecologically sustainable agricultural practices is a sure way not only to secure a better livelihood for farmers, but also to slow the destruction of the Mount Kenya forest, to secure critical watersheds, protect elephant corridors and reduce human-wildlife conflict.

Mr ole Sarisar is convinced that the laboratory at KUCT will boost the confidence of farmers in the coffee industry. Still, the challenges facing the coffee industry are many.

“We need infrastructure to reach more farmers in this area, in terms of personnel, transport and communication systems. Also, the coffee industry has been in the hands of the same people for a long time. We would do well with new management that is more receptive to technology,” says Mr ole Sarisar.

Labels: COFFEE, KENYA, STARBUCKS

posted by MrK @ 4:13 PM