Karagwe District Co-operative Union
- 18,200 smallholder coffee farmers
- Located in the Karagwe district of Tanzania, on the western shores of Lake Victoria
- Partners with Cafédirect since 1994
The 18,000 plus farmers of KDCU grow their coffee on the hills along the western shore of Lake Victoria, near the Tanzanian border with Rwanda and Uganda. Emiliana Aligaesha is one of these farmers and is an incredible woman. As well as being a busy coffee farmer maintaining a nursery for coffee seedlings, keeping animals and operating her own irrigation systems, she is a board member of KDCU and was actually the first woman board member elected to the Union in nine years. She is also a facilitator in workshops designed to encourage women to be more involved in KDCU. These workshops have helped to increase the number of women involved in the coffee growing societies that make up KDCU and as a result increased their incomes.
The hard work and dedication of Emiliana, and all the KDCU farmers, combined with the perfect growing conditions in the lush Tanzanian hills results in a great tasting cup of coffee. Taste it for yourself in a cup of Rich Roast!