Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and yet the fourth poorest country in the world. Coffee farmers live a very traditional lifestyle, farming fewer than 5 acres and living in stick houses. Electricity, running water and indoor plumbing are rare in rural areas.

The Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (OCFCU) is an exporting cooperative with offices in Addis Ababa and affiliated farmer cooperatives located throughout the coffee growing regions of Ethiopia. Oromia was established in 1999 to facilitate the direct exportation of coffee produced by Ethiopia's small farmers and assist in marketing, processing, and credit issues.

Oromia is a well organized umbrella organization responsible for processing, marketing, and commercializing coffee for its members. The union is comprised of 101 cooperatives, made up of 74,795 members as of 2006. OCFCU works exclusively in Oromia Regional State, which accounts for 65 percent of the country’s total coffee growing land and includes coffees from Limu, Yirgacheffe, Nekemte, Jimma, Sidamo, Neqemte/ Ghimbi, and Harrar. During the harvest of 2004, OCFCU processed 81,596 tons of coffee (30,415 of which is organic).

To support this work, OCFCU maintains 48 pulperies, 15 hulleries, and 63 warehouses in growing communities supported by 25 employees. Of the 101 co-ops, 11 of them are fair trade certified by FLO - representing 8963 farmers and 13,905.8 tons of coffee.

Establishing a direct relationship with the farmers is always an important aspect of Cooperative Coffees' mission. But as one of their first buyers and the first foreign importer to meet the farmers, the impact appears all the more dramatic in Ethiopia.

“Before, people would not come here, but treat us like animals and oppress us,” said the elder Tasew Gebru of the Nagelle Gorbitu Cooperative. “We appreciate your efforts, and to help us improve our lives; we really have seen an improvement in the last two years.”

With their fair trade premiums they have constructed four schools, two health clinics and a clean water supply. They now have a cupping lab located at their office and are in the process of constructing two warehouses. They hope to have their own processing plant within the next three years.