Articles Dec 5, 2024

Partnerships for more inclusive coffee communities

Promoting gender equality and inclusion has always been a core component of ofi’s sustainability programs to help women and other underrepresented groups realize their potential. Our approach is centred around identifying opportunities for better inclusion of women and youth in farming communities and providing tailored support designed to build confidence, motivation and financial autonomy.

This is why, as part of our Coffee LENS ambition we’ve set dedicated targets to deliver livelihood support to 60,000 women and 15,000 youth by 2030. Our origin teams are running impactful partnerships with our customers to create positive change in coffee communities and deliver our mutual goals.

Creating young coffee entrepreneurs in Uganda

In Uganda, our five-year partnership, launched in 2022 with Italian roaster Caffè Borbone, the ‘Mwani Women and Youth Project’, is working to empower young men and women through vocational training to improve the viability of coffee production for the next generation of farmers.

By the end of 2023, half of the targeted 1,000 young coffee farmers – both men and women - received training on financial literacy, record keeping and entrepreneurship, to help them to run their farms as a viable business. The project is also working with young adults in the local communities to improve rural employment opportunities through forming Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) with US$8,000 saved so far between 230+ members.

Over 20 of the participants aged 18-24 from the Bushenyi and Ibanda districts are now professional service providers to local farmers, earning US$50-100pcm having received training on the gamut of Good Agricultural Practices from mulching and de-suckering to pest-management and proper post-harvest handling. An additional 25+ young adults will also be able to benefit from selling up to 50,000 coffee seedlings growing in four UCDA certified coffee nurseries they were helped to establish.

For Borbone, the project provides a powerful provenance story that they are communicating to their consumers.

“The Mwanyi project reflects Borbone/ Italmobiliare and ofi’s investment in the communities of coffee origin and our shared commitment to the families, especially to women and young people, by helping them develop agricultural skills and rural opportunities for the long-term.” - Marco Schiavon, CEO Caffè Borbone

Empowering women leaders in North Sumatra’s coffee communities

Growing up in Kuta Tengah, Karo in the heart of Indonesia’s North Sumatra region, Normalina Br. Pandia was born into a coffee culture where women often become farmers but rarely on their own farms. She is one of over 950 women in her community who has participated in training sessions to gain the skills and confidence to become a decision maker and leader on the farm.

Over 400 training sessions were provided in 2023 by ofi’s team in Indonesia under Tim Hortons’ ‘Coffee for Communities’ program with women making up over half of the 1,650 participants. They were organized into multiple kelompok tani, or local farmer groups, and taught new technical skills and land-management practices.

“I’m a housewife but I’m also a coffee farmer. I’ve learned how to manage my land better and grow healthier coffee plants. Trainings by Tim Hortons’ project has given me the confidence to take charge of my farm and contribute more to my community. As a coffee supplier, I sell my coffee to ofi, which helps support my family financially. As a farmer leader, I actively share my knowledge with others in my village and regularly attend the training sessions provided by Tim Hortons’ project.” – Normalina Br. Pandia, ‘Coffee for Communities’ program participant

Partnerships for more inclusive coffee communities

Creating young coffee entrepreneurs in Uganda

Empowering women leaders in North Sumatra’s coffee communities

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