OCFCU
Member Since 2006
OCFCU
In Ethiopia, the OCFCU has grown to represent more than 400,000 households of smallholder coffee farmers. Formed in 1999, today the union is comprised of 407 primary groups and exports high quality coffee from the best-known regions of Ethiopia, including Yirgacheffe, Sidama, Nekemte and Limu. Oumer Wabe sits on the Pachamama Board of Directors to represent OCFCU.
About
Founded: 1999
Headquarters: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Region: Yirgacheffe, Sidamo, Limu, Nekemte
Farmer Owners: 400,000+ members
Women Owners: 20%
Harvest: All year
Certifications: Organic, FLO Cert., RFA, Bird Friendly, UTZ
OCFCU
The Birthplace of Coffee
As the story goes, coffee was discovered centuries ago in Ethiopia by a goat herder named Kaldi. Since then coffee has been spread around the world, but the deep traditions regarding the cup remain.
Infrastructure Projects
Tadesse Meskala takes us through the community as the cooperative works to build clean water supply to villages throughout the region. With the added premiums from fair trade certification and Pachamama Coffee, Ocfcu is able to finance projects like this.
School Projects
The cooperative represents over 400,000 families across the majority of the coffee producing regions in Ethiopia. With the success of their collective organizing, they have built over 76 schools and educational spaces for their members.
Tadesse Meskala
"We need the price of coffee to be higher. Maybe 4 or 5 times higher than it is now. This is the only way for their lives to be improved. Pachamama does this by cutting out middle men, like roasters and other retailers. The farmers deal directly with the consumer"
Beyond the Label
The lion is Ethiopias national animal as it is one of the most popular animals in the country. "The lion is an iconic and symbolic animal in Ethiopian culture, folklore, arts, and literature." We chose to have a lioness for the Ethiopia label since it represents the wildlife in the region, and this is also an animal in danger of extinction. Another reason to invest in organic farming practices, to preserve the natural cycle of wildlife.
Beyond the Label
Reflecting the legend of the discovery of coffee with Kaldi and his goats, we chose this animal for the strength it projects. Also, to draw attention to the fact this animal is in extreme danger of extinction and why we believe in the importance preserving the natural habitat and biodiversity of the ecosysmtems where coffee —and for that matter — any crop is produced.
Ethiopia
Benefits of HArar Coffee
