Delicious Peace Grows in a Ugandan Coffee Bean


The Mirembe Kawomera (lit. “delicious peace”) organic coffee cooperative is comprised of about 580 farmers and their families living in the villages near Mbale, Uganda, on the slopes of Mt. Elgon, a dormant volcano. The farmers are Christian, Muslim and Abayudayah (Jewish) and they stem from different tribal backgrounds, but the formation of the collective has brought them together harmoniously in pursuit of the common goals of economic and social development.

The Arabica coffee varieties cultivated by the farmers of the Mirembe Kawomera Cooperative were planted nearly a century ago after being transported from nearby Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. The rich volcanic soils of the Mbale region, combined with ancient production methods, produce an exceptional coffee bean. The farmers of the Mirembe Kawomera Cooperative utilize the much-acclaimed pulped natural method of coffee processing. Ripe cherries are handpicked, the red skin is removed, and the sugar-rich pulp is allowed to dry on the beans on elevated drying racks. The result is a sun-dried coffee with a naturally sweet and pleasantly fermented flavor.

Viability for the coop requires marketing and distribution partners, and that role was filled in the US by a fair trade coffee company in northern California called Thanksgiving Coffee Company. The Fair Trade movement recognizes that small-scale family farmers are the producers of some of the world's best tasting coffees, the plants of which are carefully tended throughout the year and picked by hand when ripe. The profit from Fair Trade coffee sales are designed to go directly to the cooperative, guaranteeing that farmers are able to cover their cost of production, earn reasonable pay, and provide for their families and communities.

It is on the stage of this backdrop that the documentary will rest. The program will highlight the extremely successful venture that is the Mirembe Kawomera Collective: by bridging the religious divides between peoples through collective efforts, and by working under Fair Trade certification conditions in conjunction with partners that make profitability and appreciation possible, a little corner of the world in Africa experiences and models a very unique form of peace and harmony. Through the wide broadcast of the documentary, the Collective has the opportunity to make its story known to millions of viewers across the US and ultimately around the world with the hope that its unique model can be duplicated in the context of other cultures and products worldwide.