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| Archive News from Ndumberi Co-operative Coffee Improvement Project - July 2006 |
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| July 2006 has been a hive of activity for both management and farmers of Ndumberi Co-operative Society. The three wet mills were still receiving pulping and processing the early crop cherry. The FOUR SQUARE fermentation
and soaking tanks improvement project work was going through the final
touches. The cold and sometimes chilly weather kept the wet mill managers
on their toes as they had to be extra vigilant on the weather during
sun-drying. Every body was busy preparing for the Utz Kapeh self assessment
and the actual verification procedures that were also carried out in the
same month. |
| Elsewhere, the government has finally gazetted the much awaited 'second window' rules allowing direct sales of green coffee outside the Nairobi Coffee Exchange. Farmers have received this news with a lot of excitement and expectation. We think the rules will open more opportunities to our Co-op to form solid commercial partnerships with business friends such as FOUR SQUARE and ECOM’ says an elated Raymond Gitau, the current Co-op chairman. |
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| The first phase of rehabilitation at the wet mills, at a cost of about Ksh 1.4 million (US $19,500), is now complete. This phase comprised the renovation of fermentation tanks soak tanks and washing channels in all the three wet mills in the Co-op. This work was made possible by the generous sponsorship provided by FOUR SQUARE. The second phase, which will lead to construction of permanent drying tables that are less costly to maintain, is already in motion. |
| Contracts for this work amounting to about Ksh 1.5 million (US $20,800) have already been awarded through competitive bidding. 'It would have been almost impossible to get Utz Kapeh certification without undertaking the renovation work that was kindly sponsored by FOUR SQUARE. This project came just at the right time' asserts Peter Mbugua, the Co-op secretary manager, anticipating positive results from Utz verifiers. |
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| The Co-op has so far received over 130 tons of cherry. The prevailing weather favours slow berry expansion and ripening and therefore most of the cherries will be harvested in November - December period. Despite the prevailing weather being unfavourable for parchment drying, the lower than expected cherry volumes received in the wet mills were easy to handle thanks to the new processing materials provided by the Coffee Support Network - World Bank Utz project. Some parchment is already dry and is being sorted before bagging and storage. This year, the Co-op anticipates a good harvest of over 1 million Kg cherry. |
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| After a busy month, during which the Co-op went through rigorous self assessment and actual verification procedures, one would expect the Co-op management and the farmers to take a deserved coffee break. But the industrious Ndumberi farmers are not about to relax, they are now busy attending to other farm tasks especially the bumper maize crop that is ready for harvest. 'The FOUR SQUARE and Utz Kapeh projects have raised our standards of operation, we no longer take things like labelling, records and workers safety for granted' discloses Mr Mugogo, the farmers representative to both projects, 'We are looking forward to positive Utz certification results' he adds with beaming confidence. |
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| Ndumberi Co-op has received a computer and its accessories from Coffee Support Network - World Bank project. The society has acquired a second computer to ease the management of files and farmers' data. |
| This makes Ndumberi one of the very few co-ops in Kenya to have embraced computerisation. The co-op is soon going to send some of its staff to train in computer applications. |
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| The co-op is planning an official launch of its Utz Kapeh project on the 13th September. Local dignitaries and members of the community will be invited to witness the official certification of the Co-operative and to publicly thank Utz Kapeh, World Bank/Coffee Support Network and FOUR SQUARE for the generous support they have given to the farmers of Ndumberi Co-operative Society. Sangana Commodities Ltd will be organising a special coffee liquoring session at the event so as to allow farmers to sample the fruits of their hard work. |
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| Meet Boniface Mbugua - Ndumberi Wet Mill Factory Manager |
| The challenge of producing the best quality coffee falls squarely on Boniface Mbugua's shoulders. Boniface, commonly referred to as 'Boni', is confident that he has the experience and the expertise required for the job. The 54 year old father of five was first employed as a casual worker in the co-op in 1970. Over the years Boni has climbed through the ranks to the current position through training and hard work. Boni has attended several in-service training courses in a local Co-operative College and the Coffee Research Foundation. |
| Boni is also a small scale farmer with slightly over 150 trees of coffee. This year Boni hopes to harvest over 300kg cherry which he will deliver to Ngaita Wet Mill. Boni's personal growth is synonymous with that of the Co-op. 'The Co-op is my lifeline. From my coffee earnings, my monthly wages and school fee loans from the Co-op, I have been able to educate my five children up to secondary school level. Besides, the Co-op provides a good work environment for workers. I must say I am very happy to work for Ndumberi Co-op' Boni discloses. |
| Boni is glad that the coffee prices seem to have recovered from the depression experienced in the 1990's. 'Following the training offered to our farmers, the interest in coffee is back. We expect both quality and quantity to improve thanks to the support we are getting from FOUR SQUARE and other partners. Soon we will be Utz Kapeh Certified and the future seems bright' states the optimistic Boni with a welcoming smile. |
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| We provide regular newsletters on our projects in Kenya. Read recent and archive news from the Ndumberi Co-operative Coffee Improvement Project. |
| » Read the current news from Ndumberi |
| » More archive newsletters from Ndumberi |
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