Developing fair coffee trade

Event organisers collaborated with Ciro Beverage Solutions to host 'What's Your Flava' as a parallel event at Ciro's showrooms in Paulshof on 15 May. It showcased the aromas and flavour characteristics of its new Fairtrade-certified coffee.

This social development initiative is about investing in farmers and communities; the people from the ground up who contribute to the coffee industry. It helps improve coffee production and quality and uplifts the living conditions of workers and their families. The Fairtrade auditing system focuses on increased coffee quality and educational input within the coffee farm while Ciro focuses on quality coffee roasting and production within decent and dignified working conditions and development of staff to their full potential. It also promotes environmentally conscious coffee production and is compliant with Fairtrade standards. Coffee beans for its Fairtrade blend are sourced from coffee cooperatives in different African countries.

The event focused on Tanzania's Kilimanjaro Native Co-operative Union representing 60 000 small-scale farmer members; Ethiopia's Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union, representing approximately 22 691 small-scale coffee growers, processors and exporters; and Uganda's Ankole Coffee Producers Co-operative Union, which has approximately 4465 rural farmers and farmworkers benefiting from Fairtrade coffee.

Fairtrade Label South Africa's executive director, Boudewijn Goossens says, "Over R135 000 in the form of Fairtrade premiums has been paid over to small-scale coffee farmers for reinvestment into their communities."

Therefore, the next time consumers take a moment to relax and sip on a Fairtrade-labelled coffee, they will know that the company, in partnership with Fairtrade Label South Africa, is making a positive difference to the community from which their brew originated.

For more information, go to www.ciro.co.za.