The first program is the upgrading of living conditions on the Machare farm in Tanzania. The company has contributed to building safe fireplaces with extraction chimneys to remove smoke and fumes from the fires. Previously farm workers would make brick fires, which are fundamental to their daily living, in the middle of their huts and without proper ventilation, which created a health risk due to the smoke inhalation and the risk of fire. It has also helped to supply basic amenities to this community through the development of hydro systems to power electricity, needed for lighting and refrigeration, amongst other things.
The second programme Ciro is contributing towards is Revival Pulpery in Uganda, which is situated high on the slopes of Mount Elgon and is used by all the local pickers and farmers to process their coffee. The high rainfall in Uganda makes it easy for over-fermentation to occur, therefore coffee is processed through a semi washed method to get the coffee dried as quickly as possible and delivered to the broker.
In order to facilitate this, hand pulpers are a necessity at Revival and the company has stepped in to provide capital to increase the number of hand pulpers available and therefore boost production and improve the economic returns for the community.
"Relationship coffee is about investing in the lives of the people, from the ground up, who contribute to the industry and making sometimes small changes, which in the long run will benefit the industry as a whole," commented Russ Sidelsky, marketing manager Ciro Beverage Solutions.
