Pure Africa: Towards a new fair coffee epoch
As a member of the fair coffee revolution, Pure Africa aims to make their chains transparent to be safe in the belief that no farmers have been exploited in the growing of their coffee beans. Searching for ways to improve their supply chain, Pure Africa looks to blockchain as a way to bark up the right tree, and that’s when Trace came into the picture: In the summer of 2022 two traceable batches of Rwandan coffee will find its way into Dutch supermarkets!
The project
Coffee brand Pure Africa is using Trace to gain a better understanding of their value chains. For that, 40 tons of coffee will be traced from farm to cup. The brand is eager to learn if the price they pay to farmers is sufficient to be called a ‘fair price’. More specifically, as they are already paying farmers a premium on top of the market prices, they want to find out if this is enough for the workers to invest in their future. As Justus Bijlsma, co-founder of Pure Africa, says: “We don’t want them having to take out expensive loans in order to be able to finance their business.” This first pilot project with Pure Africa will connect 80 farmers with Trace.
What did we do?
Needs-assessment
To get the project off the ground, we started with gathering information about Pure Africa’s coffee supply chain in Rwanda. We acquired useful insights on the farmers and assessed if the claims the brand inclined to make were feasible.
Training
We trained Pure Africa on the use of Trace, how they can map their supply chain and how to invite their farmers, suppliers and or buyers to participate in the blockchain system.
Supply mapping
Pure Africa is mapping all the actors in the supply chain. At this stage all the farmers have been added to the blockchain system. The transactions from the farmers to the cooperatives have been registered.
Verifying claims
1) Profitable price
Showcasing that they meet with farmers in order to calculate their cost of production as well as paying a premium (profit margin) on top of the cost of production.
2) Community investment
Communicating that their suppliers use the profit to invest in positive impact for their communities. Pure Africa encourages them to invest in the coffee washing station, farms and the community in general. They believe this creates lasting economic impact and continuous quality improvement.
3) 100% traceable
To show their coffee is 100% traceable, they will register all their purchased coffee cherries on the blockchain.
Communication
We are currently working on a branded customer interface to showcase the journey of the Rwandan coffee of Pure-Africa. Buyers and consumers will soon be able to see the road that the coffee bean has travelled.
Who is Pure-Africa?
Pure-Africa is a micro financing organisation. They invest €1 per kilogram sold into micro loans to African farmers. These loans are used to purchase land or fertiliser. Besides providing micro loans, they are also investing in improving prices for coffee farmers. Their coffee originates from Eastern Africa; Ethiopia, Burundi and Rwanda.
