Highlights of Accomplishments

MEMBERSHIP

To date (May 2011), EAFCA has a membership of 165 composed of both individual and corporate members comprising of farmers, exporters, importers, retailers, roasters and coffee professionals from Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia all over the including members belonging to the specialty coffee associations of Europe, Brazil and America.

See a list of our members.

Programs

EAFCA TASTE OF HARVEST COMPETITION

The Eastern African Fine Coffees Association (EAFCA) in partnership with the Coffee Quality Institute held National Taste of Harvest competitions in its 8 active producing countries during the 2010 - 2011 season. The world renowned competition identifies coffees that score highest in overall quality based on intrinsic quality characteristics like aroma, acidity, clean cup composition, uniformity of cup and aftertaste.

The winner this year was Mathira North Kabiruini under the Technoserve Program.

CFC-ICO-EU PROJECT

In 2009, the Eastern African Fine Coffees Association (EAFCA) partnered with the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) and the International Coffee Organisation (ICO) in the execution of a 5-year project titled “Building Capacity in Coffee Certification and Verification for Specialty Coffee Farmers in EAFCA Countries”.

Project Activities realized so far in the CFC Project (CFC /ICO/45):

• Project Launch: Mombasa, 13th February,2010
• Launch of Training of Master Trainers
• Conference for Standard Owners (Utz Certified, Starbucks, FairTrade, 4c Association , Rain Forest Alliance, Organic) and National Coffee Institutions (from nine project countries)
• Project Inception Report done by DCDM.
• Beneficiary mapping and Signing of Memoranda of Understanding with national Coffee Institutions (NCI).

Read more about this project.

PRICE RISK MANAGEMENT

The Eastern African Fine Coffees Association (EAFCA) has partnered with the Agriculture Risk Management Team (ARMT) of the World Bank (WB) to introduce and roll out the Price Risk Management Course in six EAFCA member countries namely Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia.

The Price Risk Management Course was developed by the World Bank's Agricultural Risk Management Team (ARMT) and is being delivered, with support from the European Union's All ACP Agricultural Commodities Programme.

On 10th - 14th May 2010, Burundi became the first EAFCA member country to benefit from the Training Course.

Similar trainings were held in Nairobi, Kenya, Rwanda and twice in Arusha, Tanzania.

AFRICA & NATIONAL BARISTA CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Eastern African Fine Coffees Association (EAFCA) has now for two consecutive years held the Africa Barista Championship at its premier Annual Coffee Conference and Exhibition. During the 2nd ABC Ishan Natalie, the 2009 & 2010 National champion from South Africa emerged the winner with 51% score.
This competition which is the only one of its kind in Africa is a major highlight of the 8th African Fine Coffee Conference & Exhibition. The event was organised by the Eastern African Fine Coffees Association Secretariat (EAFCA) in collaboration with the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI - USA).

The main equipment and cash sponsor was La Marzocco, Italy.

9TH EAFCA FINE COFFEES CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

The African Fine Coffee Conference & Exhibition is EAFCA’s premier event and the international coffee world’s “must attend” conference

This conference attracts over 800 African coffee producers, traders, roasters, importers, exporters, international buyers, retailers, certification agencies, and others involved in the coffee sector in the region.  It provides unique and special opportunity for these stakeholders to meet, establish relationships, and discuss important coffee issues and to learn about ways to improve their coffee growing practices including producing quality coffee in an environmentally sustainable manner.

The African Fine Coffee Conference & Exhibition was launched by EAFCA in February 2004 in Nairobi, Kenya. The conference was there after held in Zambia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and more recently in February of 2011 once again in Arusha Tanzania at the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge.

The 9th Africa Fine Coffee Conference & Exhibition will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from the 16th to 18th February 2012.

For more information of the EAFCA Conference please visit: www.africanfinestcoffee.com.