This Co-operatives fortnight (18 June – 2 July), Wales welcomes two Ugandan Coffee Field Officers from the Gumutindo Cooperative on the slopes of Mount Elgon on the border with Kenya.
Joachim Watuwa and Patrick Kutosi are coming to Wales to learn about Wales’s amazing co-operatives and growing coffee culture, and to share their experiences of working in sustainable coffee production..
Joachim and Patrick will be visiting coops across Wales to learn about Fairtrade, organic agriculture, recycling and more. They will also be finding out what happens to coffee when it reaches Wales by visiting a coffee roaster in Bridgend and having a lesson in Barista and in latte art in a local Cardiff coffee shop.
Joachim said: “We are looking forward to meeting people in Wales and telling them all about Gumutindo, which means ‘excellent quality’ and the coffee our thousands of farmers produce at our cooperative. I’m also really excited about learning how to make latte coffee.
“Fair Trade means that the farmers I work with and the workers at our factory get a fairer price for their product, as a result of the extra premium people pay we can choose where that money is spent and can send children to school, pay for local health centres and protect our local environment.”
As well as being Fairtrade, the coffee produced by Gumutindo is organic and gets its unique taste from the care and attention it is given by the farmers, the rich volcanic soil and temperate climate.
Elen Jones, National Coordinator at Fair Trade Wales said: “In Wales we take a cup of coffee for granted, how often do we stop to think about where it has come from and the person who has worked hard to grow it for us?”
“This year we are celebrating the 8th anniversary of Wales becoming the World’s first Fair Trade Nation. The new legislation being introduced by the Welsh Government under the Well being and Future Generations Act, supports us to continue to lead the way in being a globally responsible nation.”
The visit is supported by Fair Trade Wales, a partner of Hub Cymru Africa, the Wales Co-operative Centre and the Welsh Government. The project co-ordinator is John Harrington, a volunteer from Newtown.
