Ethiopian coffee farmers to tour schools, speak to the public

ROSEMARY BEACH — Multinational coffee companies have built an industry worth more than $80 billion a year, and coffee has become the most valuable trading commodity in the world after oil.

But until recent years, little of that money made its way to the root of the industry: the small farmer struggling to survive in places such as Ethiopia.

That’s why Dan Bailey, owner of Panama City Beach-based Amavida Coffee and Trading Co., thinks it is important to tell the story of the cooperatives that have helped funnel more money toward the farmers and raise their standard of living.

“It’s important to really understand how connected we are to the rest of the world through our purchases,” Bailey said, “for the public to understand how they buy and what they buy can help contribute” to efforts like eliminating poverty, creating sustainable businesses, and supporting education, health care and gender equality in developing nations.

To that end, Amavida is hosting representatives of Ethiopian coffee co-ops next week to celebrate the International Year of the Cooperative by touring schools, speaking to students, and making presentations to the general public.

“The focus is on growing the public awareness about cooperatives,” Bailey said.

The visitors include Tadesse Meskela, general manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union; Berhanu Legesse, deputy general manager of Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union; and Chris Treter, co-founder of Higher Grounds Trading Co. and founder of On the Ground, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing fresh water, education and health care to communities in Ethiopia and other countries.

“Tadesse was a main character in the (documentary film) ‘Black Gold,’ which made a huge impact around the world,” Bailey said. “It is dated now, but in a good way. The impact of that film to Ethiopian farmers and fair trade — the changes that came about were very positive.”

Honor students at Chipola State College are viewing “Black Gold” and will have a panel discussion with the three visitors on Wednesday afternoon. The same presentation will be open to the general public at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Rosemary Beach Town Hall, followed by music and an art exhibit at the Rosemary Beach location of Amavida Coffee.

The three visitors will participate in activities at the Ohana Institute and Seaside Neighborhood School, where students will have a marathon to raise money for Project Ethiopia.

The marathon was inspired by an “ultra marathon” in January 2011, when 10 Americans (including Bailey’s wife and daughter) and six Ethiopian runners crossed 400 kilometers (over 250 miles) of Southern Ethiopia in 10 days to generate awareness and funding for education. They raised more than $200,000 and built three schools that directly serve 1,500 children in the community of Hase Gola.

“Project Ethiopia” helps to administer the schools, while raising funds to build a library at the site of two of the buildings.

Amavida also will host a convention of Cooperative Coffees members, and anticipates 55 to 60 representatives from 16 states in the U.S. and four territories of Canada, as well as participants from France and Ethiopia. Cooperative Coffees, based in Americus, Ga., is a green importing co-op of 23 community-based coffee roasters committed to building and supporting fair and sustainable trade relationships for the benefit of farmers, their co-ops, families and communities.

“Because everyone is here, we are celebrating The Year of the Cooperative, which is being advocated by the United Nations,” Bailey said. “Each year, they pick a theme they feel is important to the world on institutional, governmental, educational (and many other) levels. This year, the U.N. is celebrating the advances cooperatives have made in the world.”

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