Fairtrade Africa Consultancy for Provision of Services on Product Development for Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union Value Addition Project Jobs in Ethiopia
Fairtrade Africa Consultancy for Provision of Services on Product Development for Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union Value Addition Project Jobs in Ethiopia
Fairtrade AfricaEstablished in 2005, Fairtrade Africa is the independent non-profit umbrella organization representing all Fairtrade certified producers in Africa. Fairtrade Africa is owned by its members, who are African producer organizations certified against international Fairtrade standards producing traditional export commodities such as coffee, cocoa, tea, cotton, bananas, mango, and non-traditional commodities including shea butter and rooibos tea.
Currently, the organization represents over 1 million smallholder farmers and workers across 33 countries in Africa.
FTA is also part of the global Fairtrade system and as a Producer Network has 50% ownership of the Fairtrade system.
FTA activities are enabled through primary structures such as product groups, country, and regional networks which enable members to have a strong voice in the governance and management of the organizations.
Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union
Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperatives Union (YCFCU), currently represents over 43,794 farmers belonging to more than 300,000 families and was established in June 2002. Its 27 member cooperatives are all located in Gedeo, southern Ethiopia.
From the total member cooperatives, 25 of them with 36,074 (18% female) coffee farmers are Fairtrade certified and selling their coffee under Fairtrade market.
This area is well known for its high-quality Yirgacheffe coffee type in the world. The 62,004 hectares gardens that are dedicated to coffee alone, on average produce 20,000 tons of Yirgacheffe washed and sun-dried coffee per year.
Yirgacheffe coffee, growing from 1600 to 2440 meters above sea level in fertile loamy soil, is the world’s finest highland-grown Ethiopia Arabica coffee.
Most members own 0.65 to 1.5 hectors of coffee land which they cultivate together with other crops such as a false banana which is used for the entire production system as a garden production system.
YCFCU is on the verge of value-adding to its coffee (roasting, grinding, and packing) and finalizing its preparation to enter to roasted coffee business segment targeting local, Africa, middle east, and Asia market. In relation, this, YCFCU’s coffee value addition project particularly roasted coffee product development needed an expert or consultant for the initiative.
Dignity for All (D4A) Coffee project – Finnish-funded Impact Programme
Fairtrade Africa is implementing four years ( January 2018-Dec.2021 ) Dignity For All (D4A) Coffee project – Finnish-funded Impact Programme in Ethiopia coffee unions.
The overall objective of the project is ‘to contribute to the realization of the right to sustainable livelihood of producer and worker households in the Sidama, Yirgacheffe, and Bench Maji Coffee Unions.
The purpose of the project is ‘to make coffee production more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable’. The project focuses especially on youth, people with
disabilities, women, and the poorest farmers and workers.
Expected results include:
Increased Coffee production and productivity
Improved Coffee quality and traceability
Enhanced market access and Linkage
Achieve resilient and inclusive SPOs
Improve Climate resilience and environmentally sound coffee production
As part of market access and linkage initiatives, Dignity for All (D4A) Coffee project – Finnish-funded Impact Programme planned to support Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperatives Union (YCFCU) on their coffee value addition project, particularly on roasted coffee product development.
Fairtrade Africa is, therefore, is seeking to engage the services of a consultant (individual/firm) oversee the process of product development for one product lines.
Specific Objective
The Product Development consultant will manage the new product development activities for the producer organizations, roasting and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations.
And train brand owners on appropriate blending, roasting and quality control skills towards ensuring continuity of the enterprise after the exit of the consultant.
The following are the key activities for the exercise:
Develop unique blends for the coffee brand and within the market acceptable roast profiles. Blend idea brainstorming and evaluation ( roast and cup evaluations)
Production of Pilot Market Products: roast and pack the sample product as per the required standards as per Ethiopia regulations
Approve all Pre-production samples as per the blend developed by the quality expert.
Ensure that the producer organizations quality experts are conversant with the product specifications of the proposed new product to ensure consistency in quality after the exit of the consultant.
Development of standard procedure for production and train producer organization experts
Quality Management and Control Training (Roasting, Cupping and Packaging)
Consumer product evaluations
Consultants Profile
At the minimum, the consultant(s) must possess the following:
At least a degree in a business field with specialization in Marketing, brand development, economics or related disciplines.
Diploma/certificate on coffee cupping, roasting and quality control
Proven experience of coffee value addition, packaging, branding, promotion and sale.
Excellent understanding of coffee quality control and the Ethiopia Coffee Supply Chain.
While preparing the proposal, applicants must include the following:
A brief description of the consultancy firm or consultant
Outline of recent experience on assignments of a similar nature.
Consultants statement on the interpretation of the TOR
Technical proposal: a description of the methodology or approach
Financial proposal including a work plan for carrying out the assignment within the timelines indicated
At least 3 references/recommendation letter of similar assignments that the consulting firm or consultant has undertaken in the last 3 years.
CVs of the consultant including the members who might be engaged for the assignment.
How to Apply
The closing date for receiving the application is September 10, 2020.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Please send the applications to recuitments@fairtradeafrica.net.
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