By Scott Kee, Director of Purchasing, Dunn Bros Coffee
Dunn Bros Coffee started funding our Kenya Project at the beginning of 2008. Although we had not yet identified what the project would be, we felt the sooner we started earmarking funds, the earlier we could get the project launched when the opportunity presented itself. Initially, we planned on drilling one water well for the Meru coffee community but then we went to bid on the well, the price tag was over $18,000 US dollars. Double-checking the bid against other area water projects, we determined that the contractors had inflated the construction costs. Frustrated, we put the well on hold until we could identify the right project during our 18-day East Africa trip which took place in June of this year.
Our East Africa trip consisted of coffee tours in Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Kenya. Fast forward to our trip - we arrived in Rwanda, and started the tour at one of the country’s many coffee washing stations. The SPREAD project arranged for us to sit in on the Maraba-Sovu coffee co-op’s annual meeting and equipment exposition. We ate lunch and listened to the results of the Coffee Processing Comparison study that had been taking place between April and May 2007. The show highlighted coffee processing equipment manufacturers, small tools, and fertilizer distributors. The equipment manufacturers had set their respective machines up side by side so we had an opportunity to understand this portion of the coffee bean’s life cycle and compare old equipment to the new, more technologically advanced machines. We left the show with a greater understanding of how new pulping machines improve the quality of the coffee, lower labor costs, and save a significant amount of water.
We spent a total of 4 days in Rwanda and then traveled to Burundi. There we toured various coffee farms for 5 days before arriving in Kenya. While touring Rwanda and Burundi, we became accustomed to their clean, organized, and efficient washing stations. This why a feeling of disbelief was triggered upon arrival at the Gatunyu Kigio Society washing stations in Kenya where we witnessed the worn-out 1950's era pulpers, the coffee washing water was brackish and both of the water channels and fermentation tanks reeked of rot. I hid behind my camera's viewfinder, so disappointed and shocked that the co-op had allowed the station to fall into such disrepair. The tour group fell silent like we were attending a wake.
Proper, quality washing station in Burundi Gatunyu co-op, Kenya washing station in need of repair
As we jumped in and out of our van moving from farm to farm, one of our traveling companions from the office of Deloitte in Nairobi mentioned the aid opportunities at the Gatunyu washing station mentioned above. We agreed that it was perfect for rehabilitation and asked Deloitte’s office to match us with their other known philanthropic grants.
Our next step in moving forward with the decision to fund the rehabilitation of this washing station, and in particular buying an Aqua Pulper machine, was to contact the equipment manufacturers we met in Rwanda and have them tour the Gatunyu washing station for evaluation, equipment needs, and project bids. We reviewed the bids and are leaning towards one of the manufacturer’s proposals at this time. We decided to send the Chairman of the washing station, a co-op member, and a Deloitte personnel member, to the Arusha area of Tanzania to see the potential Aqua Pulper equipment first hand. The $500.00 it costs to see the machine running, the coffee’s quality coming from it, and the opportunity to speak with other farmers using it are important dollars to spend upfront. We need all parties involved to be comfortable with the new style of processing and the various responsibilities that these machines bring to the washing station so having the chairman on board is critical to the success and acceptance of the project. These three individuals are traveling to the Tanzania area on Wednesday, October 8th.
Image of Penagos Aqua Pulper
Comparison of all 3 coffee pulping machines:
Front: Brazafrica pulper- 1st generation Aqua Pulper
Middle: 1950's Naicoffee Single disc traditional pulper (note how much water it uses)
Back: Penagos Aquapulper- the model we will be purchasing for the Gatunyu Kigio Society
One of the greatest reasons we want to install the Aqua Pulper is the reduced environmental footprint the new machine affords. We have sized this particular machine to handle up to 900 pounds of coffee cherries per hour. This size will allow the machine to run at peak operating efficiency during the nightly coffee pulping procedures. The machine’s heavy period of use is in October and November with lighter use in May and June.
Below are comparisons between old and new machines:
Water consumption: Normal 1950’s style disk pulping machines use 15 gallons of water to process .65 pounds of raw coffee. The Aqua Pulper uses .25 gallons for the same amount. Fresh water has always been a commodity in Africa and recent laws coming from the Kenyan Parliament are telling washing stations that they are going to have to install water meters and will be charged for the water.
Sun drying time: Aqua pulpers extract more water from the bean and reduce drying time by up to 50%.
Labor: Because the Aqua Pulper removes the majority of fruit from the cherry, no long labor-intensive fermentation needs to take place.
Consistent high quality: The Aqua Pulper removes the need for fermentation. This allows for more consistent processing and reduced mistakes.
Waste loss: The Aqua Pulper’s screens do not lose coffee to the processing. Less waste means more money for the coop.
Down stream green: The discarded coffee cherry fruit is not wet after it goes thru the Aqua pulper and does not need to be thrown or floated into the local rivers. This cherry waste is a contributing factor to coffee communities’ poor water quality. The Co-op starts a compost pit and begins to use the byproduct to fertilize the plants.
Beans from a washing station with good equiptment Beans from the Kenya washing station in need of repair
It is our hope that through the funding of this new coffee equipment, the Gatunyu Kigio Society washing station in Kenya will not only be a sustainable coffee station but it will allow the farmers themselves to save on all operating costs and put more money in the co-op's pocket. We will update the blog when the three travelers get back from Tanzania.
Thank you for these fascinating entries and descriptions of what your company is doing with coffee growers in Africa. The photos are particularly helpful in educating the reader.
Posted by: Gina | October 10, 2008 at 12:35 PM