7 voices from Meru

This coffee comes from seven women farmers in Kenya’s Meru region working in partnership with NGUVU, a Danish social enterprise whose mission is to empower female coffee farmers in Kenya since 2016.

Traditionally, the women have been held in poverty because of poor payment for coffee beans. Moreover, the women often receive the payment one year later, which further worsened their situation and increased their debts.

NGUVU works with more than 200 women coffee producers in the region who receive timely and fair payment for their coffee cherries, and training sessions with local agronomists that help make their small coffee farms sustainable and resilient, and most importantly, a business that can support their families.

The impact reached beyond the coffee fields. More stable earnings helped support school fees, household needs, and small reinvestments in their farms. Knowledge became a long-term asset

Together with Collège Alpin Beau Soleil and their student-led coffee company 17g, natural processing methods have been introduced – an approach that uses up to 95% less water than traditional washed processing. 17g partner closely with seven of these farmers and have built long-term relationships with them over the past five years.

Profits of the 17g coffee sold are reinvested into the project. So far, this has funded raised drying beds, a polytunnel for wet weather, professional coffee training for key women farmers, and plans for solar panels and a future training center.