Introduction
The African Fine Coffees Association was established in 2000 as a non-profit organisation. Its goal is to represent producers, traders, government and other support organisation. 11 countries are part of the AFCA (Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia. Its headquarters are located in Kampala (Uganda) but they have representative staffs also in other countries.
Their main activities are building capacity, creating market linkages, and hosting coffee events.
Education
AFCA is very committed in the educational field through trainings, capacity building and certificate courses with topics such as agronomy, processing, quality control & cupping, green coffee trading, sales & marketing, roasting, brewing & barista skills.
The non-profit organisation also created the AFCA Coffee Campus which offers classroom and a lab equipped for coffee quality evaluation courses and barista training.
Taste of Harvest and African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition
“Taste of harvest” is an event that AFCA organizes in collaboration with the Inter-African Coffee Organisation (IACO). The concept gives members the opportunity to submit samples of their finest coffee during the competition. Certified judges with experience will select the top five coffees from different categories.
The African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition, Africa’s largest coffee trade platform, is held annually and proposes conferences, workshops, competitions and an exhibition, among other activities.
TDC subsidies and coaching
In 2024-2027, the AFCA will receive € 50.000 from the TDC for an action they call “Unlocking the Potential of African Coffee by Supporting Producer Organisations to Meet EU Standards and Legislation.” The action will first take place online in order to involve the different members of the AFCA. In the second part of the action, a study tour will be organised to Europe – Belgium, Switzerland and/or Italy. These countries have been tentatively selected because they are countries where AFCA members have a large potential to increase exports.
The main activities of this project will be:
- Hold quarterly webinar series on sustainability, decent work, and human rights’ standards and legislation
- Conduct an EU study tour focusing on environmental and social sustainability and on green coffee trading, logistics, and market dynamics
- Benchmarking member organisations on deforestation, living income, and human rights.
- Document best practices through member organisation case studies
- Hold capacity building sessions on market access strategies: branding, digital marketing, etc.
Expected results
Ultimately, the project aims to contribute to the capacity of African coffee producers to export a greater volume of coffee to EU markets.
The immediate results of the project are expected to be:
1. Increased member organisations’ awareness and knowledge of EU standards and legislation on deforestation, decent work, and human rights
2. Greater compliance by member organisations with standards on deforestation, living income, and human rights
3.Increased capacity of member organisations to develop market access strategies (i.e., branding, digital marketing)
