Learn about East African Coffee – and the women who grow it

‘Tis the season for East African coffee – and the women who grow it: A letter from Dagmawi, our Africa Program Manager

Hi to our GfH supporters and friends,

I hope you are all enjoying coffee from Ethiopia & Kenya this summer—perhaps sipping one as you read this.  

Coffee producers, roasters and consumers alike know that summer is the season of receiving East African coffees. The beans are picked in the fall (by the women we screen and treat!), are processed for export in the winter at various milling stations by private businesses and coffee farmer co-operatives, and are transported globally in the spring.  

East African coffees are diverse but generally are fruity, floral, and bright in flavor, which is a stark contrast between Latin America. What is most interesting is how flavor can vary between small farms that are only a few yards apart, just because they catch morning sun or not. Our places of health intervention in Ethiopia and Kenya illustrate this interesting fact.

Ethiopia – Guji, Sidama & Yirgacheffe Areas

To some, coffee from Yirgacheffe is the best in the world. The farms sit at 5,800-6,600 feet above sea level and bask in the sun. In the coffee world, both Guji and Yirgacheffe are considered a micro-region within the Sidama coffee family and are trademarked due to their exceptional coffees that are fruity, floral and light.

The coffees of Guji, Sidama, and Yirgacheffe differ in profile and command different reputations across markets due to genetics, environmental factors, and simply consumer preference. There is much debate on the quality and price difference between these coffees, but all are hailed for their shimmery, citrus and floral notes and light bodied flavor. This also depends, of course, on how it is processed.

Grounds for Health is bringing healthcare #wheresheworks in these three coffee areas, reaching many of the women who harvest coffee beans in Ethiopia! 

Kenya – Nyeri County

Nyeri County is situated southwest of Mt. Kenya, the second tallest peak on the continent of Africa, and is surrounded by national forest and active wildlife. At the edge of these forests live high elevation communities where coffee is grown. Some consider the volcanic soil the reason behind the delicious coffee it produces.   

According to Royal Coffee’s Blog, “Kenya’s coffee is dominated by a cooperative system of production, whose members vote on representation, marketing and milling contracts for their coffee, as well as profit allocation.” Our staff in Kenya are bringing HPV test kits to various communities in Nyeri and in the service of women involved in the coffee supply chain. Within this system, we are not restricted to testing at farms but washing stations and mills, where women make up a good deal of the workforce.  

You can help us get more test kits to these locations, without disrupting the women’s workdays, thanks to the convenience of HPV self-sampling and our proven intervention model of cervical cancer prevention. We have been doing this work for over 25 years and would like to achieve elimination of cervical cancer by 2030 as articulated by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

We ask you to be a part of this effort so that the coffee industry thrives and women in our our rural communities are not left behind. 

Thank you,

Dagmawi I. Eminetu
Program Manager for Africa