Coffee
Background
87% of Americans consider themselves 'obsessed' with coffee, whilst in the UK, £1bn was spent on coffee in 2022 alone. Over two billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide, every day, asserting the brew as one of the most popular drinks in the world, second only to water!
From humble beginnings growing wild within Ethiopian forests in the 9th century, this powerhouse of a product is now grown in over 70 countries, the largest of which being Brazil, Columbia and Kenya.
Today, the coffee industry supports over 120 million people across the globe, and 80% of the world's coffee supply is produced by 25 million smallholders: the very people we support with your investments.
Our Portfolio
In terms of lending products, coffee continues to dominate our portfolio, accounting for just under half of all finance provision. This is representative of the scale of Fairtrade coffee production, with more than half of all Fairtrade certified producers growing this commodity due to its accessibility and profitability.
BUKONZO
Based in Kasese town in western Uganda, Bukonzo Organic Farmers Co-operative Union was founded by six organic coffee farmers who were keen to spread their message of environmental awareness. They began trading in 2011 and became a Shared Interest customer in 2014. Today, their membership has risen to almost 2,000 members. The co-operative has made a huge impact on the community, particularly on the lives of women, as they are now becoming more involved with coffee production. Traditionally a ‘man’s crop’, Bukonzo is one of the few coffee co-operatives in Africa which is managed by women.
CAFESCOR
The high altitude and rich soils found in the Copán region of Honduras help farmers here to produce some of the highest quality beans in Central America. In 2014, 25 farmers came together with the ambition to export this premium quality coffee to customers worldwide. They became known as CAFESCOR, and since then they have grown their membership to over 400 coffee farmers. In 2019, they became a Shared Interest customer and began to focus their efforts on enhancing the quality of their coffee even further, and as a result, improving the quality of life for farmers.
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CAPUCAS
In 1999, the Co-operative Cafetalera Capucas Limitada (Capucas) was formed by a group of 55 farmers who wanted to grow good quality coffee and create a better quality of life for people living in the region of Las Capucas, Honduras. We began our relationship with the co-operative in 2015, when we approved a Commercial Export Credit (COEC) facility, which meant that Capucas could support farmers on the run up to harvest time. Capucas now have 33 employees and work with 919 farmers. Despite several years of suffering low international coffee prices, Capucas is one of the few co-operatives in Honduras to maintain a high level of Fairtrade exports, and they have a reputation for creating a significant social impact.
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CECAFE
Established in 2006 by 80 coffee producers, and a Shared Interest customer since 2013, CECAFE unites 852 farmers in the Amazonas region of Peru, who believe that their coffee is a symbol of wellbeing. The co-operative produces high quality Fairtrade and organic beans, grown amidst rainforest and mountain ranges.
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CECANOR
Whilst women have always been crucial to coffee production in Peru, men traditionally held the economic power. In 2004, 464 female Peruvian coffee producers united to change this and take a step towards empowerment. The women of CECANOR are proud to be the originators of the Café Femenino programme, which now includes thousands of women farmers from nine countries across the world. Shared Interest are equally as proud to have supported CECANOR since 2012.
COCAGI
Coffee Co-operative of Gichoma (COCAGI) is a coffee growers’ co-operative located in the Gishoma district of western Rwanda. They started out as an association of coffee producers in 2002, in the same year the Rwandan National Coffee Strategy was launched to promote the production of high quality specialty coffee. Two years later, they formally registered as a co-operative with the support of the PEARL project to help the country generate agricultural revenue after the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Shared Interest has supported COCAGI since 2009, providing loans to expand their washing stations and to buy a truck to transport coffee cherries from the buying centres.
COOPARM
COOPARM (Cooperativa Agraria Rodríguez de Mendoza) is a coffee co-operative located in the province of Rodríguez de Mendoza, in the Amazonas region. The co-operative was founded in 1991 by 100 farmers and obtained organic and Fairtrade certifications in 2008. In 2010, COOPARM became a Shared Interest customer when we provided finance to support the co-operative in exporting their coffee.
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KIBINGE
Kibinge Coffee Farmers’ Co-operative Society Ltd. is named after the region in which it is located in Central Uganda, about 150 kilometres from the capital, Kampala. The region is renowned for its high-quality Robusta coffee. Founded by four coffee farmers in 1995, Kibinge was registered as a coffee farmers’ co-operative in 2009. Two years later, they obtained Fairtrade certification and in September 2012, Shared Interest supported Kibinge in pre-financing 13 contracts with international Fairtrade buyers.
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KOAKAKA
In the Southern Province of Rwanda, three coffee farmer associations came together in 1999 with the purpose of strengthening their position in the local coffee sector and increasing their access to international markets. This union was formalised in 2002 and they named themselves KOAKAKA (Koperative y’ abahinzi ba Kawa Karaba) (The Co-operative of Coffee Growers of Karaba). From 867 farmers, the co-operative now has 1,316 members. Shared Interest has supported KOAKAKA since 2013.
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