Coffee Innovation Fund
Supporting smallholder families, promoting innovation
How can companies and cooperatives promote sustainability in the coffee sector? The Coffee Innovation Fund, financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), supported pioneering projects that make coffee cultivation more profitable for farmers in innovative ways. Using a wide variety of approaches, they improved production, processing or marketing of the beans and create more value locally. Criteria such as innovation, replicability, inclusivity and potential impact played a role in the selection of proposals. Subsequently, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supported the companies and cooperatives in designing and implementing their projects. In addition to financial support, they all received access to a broad network in the coffee industry.
There were no limits to creativity: to compensate for low and fluctuating prices in the coffee sector, coffee farmers were supported in diversifying their income from several products such as honey, cascara and patchouli, which can be produced together with coffee. The utilization of bunk beds allowed effective use of space to dry coffee while growing vegetables. Digital tool recorded the CO2 storage capacity of coffee forests and promoted their protection or provided needs-based advice on appropriate land use to small holder farmers. A mobile pulping station also enabled farmers in remote, rural areas to sell their coffee at a higher value. Additionally, digital databases and blockchain-based traceability systems promoted transparency, market access, and networking opportunities among cooperatives and smallholder families.
After a successful first round with 21 projects funded in Ethiopia, Myanmar, Indonesia and Vietnam, the Coffee Innovation Fund continued in a second round. In 2021, 20 selected projects started their implementation phase in the four East African countries Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, of which 18 were completed at the end of September 2022. An additional 13 projects running from March 2022 until July 2023 were launched in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
The funding enabled start-ups and cooperatives to test new ideas and gain experience. Other stakeholders are also able to leverage these experiences: through exchanges at events; factsheets that briefly and concisely summarize the projects; and a handbook with the solutions that were implemented in the projects. In this way, innovations from these countries are shared with the entire coffee world so that others can learn and benefit from them.
What else you should know about the Coffee Innovation Fund:
- It supports the development and implementation of innovative practices, systems and tools in the coffee sector
- is a collaboration between one or more private companies and GIZ
- provides commercial benefits for the private partners while bringing developmental benefits to the coffee sector in the country
- is designed by both partners, but implemented by the private partner with third-party support
- can contribute up to €50,000 per project to cover the cost of materials, technology and technical assistance
- is not a cash-based fund and
- requires matching contributions from applicants (contributions can be in kind).
The Coffee Innovation Fund was implemented by the Initiative for Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. GIZ worked with the companies to support them in designing and implementing the projects.
Results achieved after four years of the Coffee Innovation Fund:
- A total of 53 demand-based projects were piloted together with various small-scale private businesses in 7 partner countries
- Implemented projects cover a wide range of topics: gender, income diversification, digitalisation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity, deforestation-free supply chains, market access
- Enabled companies to pilot new products/processes, gain implementation experience and gain visibility
- Approx. 60,000 smallholders were directly involved in the implementation of projects
- Budget realised: 4.6 million Euros
Factsheets
Uganda
Capacity enhancement for Coffee Decker production
BigData for sustainable production and market access
Innovative farming for sustainable coffee production
Coffee Development tool to accelerate coffee based agro-forestry among coffee farmers
Rwanda
Launch of AnaerobicMaceration Coffee Processing to increase price premiums to coffee farmers.
Coffee based tourism development
Strengthening the smallholder-based coffee supply chain in Cyato through improved parabolic drying and compost-based farming
Kenya
Soil Fertility & Coffee Quality Improvement through sustainable advisory services
Integration of Agripay Digital Network within the Coffee Value chain for Enhanced Market Access
Strengtheningtechnological & agro-enterprise capacity of small holder coffee farmers
The Eva’s Coffee Eco Lodge
Coffee value chain automation, capacity, and efficiency enhancement
Ethiopia
Digital applications to facilitate market access for smallholders
Artificial intelligence for early detection of coffee diseases
Results-based carbon payments for Ethiopian coffee agroforestry
Organic Cascara production to increase the living income
Value addition service centers for smallholders and entrepreneurs
Uganda
Biogas technologies for clean energy and organic manure
Integration of beekeeping into the banana coffee system
Mobile coffee pulping
Rainwater harvesting for wet coffee processing
Transparent reporting system for coffee
Rwanda
Brand building and direct marketing campaign - fully made by women
Coffee and Patchouli intercropping for increased coffee production and quality
Digitized coffee supply chain for improved quality, management, sourcing, and sustainability
Rwandan coffee value chain directory for direct crop to cup linkages
Organic fertilizer production to increase productivity and quality
Ethiopia
Consumer microloans on blockchain for coffee farmers
Enabling living income through consumer empowerment
Mechanical coffee drying machine that utilises coffee waste to dry coffee faster
Developing digital solutions
Indonesia
Developing instant speciality coffee for the global market
Improving fermentation to create new taste profiles and boost cupping score
Indonesian Coffee Flavor Wheel
Farm facilities model for speciality coffee processing
Digital traceability to ensure coffee quality
Developing Agni-Dryer for natural coffee processing
Digital traceability platform for a sustainable specialty coffee value chain
Connecting coffee growers and drinkers to make coffee more sustainable
Myanmar
Speciality Arabica coffee and eco-tourism
Innovative bunk beds with drying tables and garden beds
Solar drying dome system
Virtual learning for coffee stakeholders
Ethiopia
Consumer microloans on blockchain for coffee farmers
Digital bookkeeping for coffee producers
Enhancing consumer engagement and revenue to coffee farmers
Green bean coffee husk-powered mechanical dryer
Indonesia
Adena Kenawat Agni-dryer
BUMI digital traceability
Kiwari Specialty Instant Coffee
Marketing traceable coffee at the register
Origin centered coffee traceability
Seniman Coffee - Coffee Flavor Wheel App
So so good coffee company
Tanamera Specialty Processing Model
Myanmar
Behind the Leaf Bunk Beds
Jadae Akha Coffee Group Business
MM Coffee Academy by PSedx
United Power Solar Dome Drying