G-1996

Coffee Plant Process

Description

Financing

Documents

Photos

History Logs

Project Description

Region: South America

Country: Colombia

Location: Belen De Umbria

Total Budget: $52,000

Area of Focus: Community economic development


The purpose of the project is to improve the life quality of 123 small-farm coffee growing families that belong to the mountain range - Cuchilla del San Juan, avoiding the pollution generated by the traditional wet coffee processes.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Coffee is not just a beverage. It is the world's second most traded commodity of which millions of people depend on. In Colombia, it is mainly grown by small-farm owners that usually have a processing facility on their farm, with inefficient machines that generate a dramatic environmental impact. The traditional web coffee process consumes around 40 liters of water per 1 kilogram of dry coffee beans and the wastewater is thrown into the local river system with no treatment. People downstream drink this polluted water, causing serious gastric problems, especially in the vulnerable population of children and elderly.

In May of 2008, a group of 32 coffee growers joined to create the Association of Producers of High Quality Coffee - Cuchilla del San Juan, located in Belén de Umbría, Department of Risaralda, in the heart of the Colombia Coffee Zone, under License number S0503917 of the Chamber of Commerce of Pereira.

In 2011, the Association started working on an innovative project of building a large-scale cooperative-based facility to process the coffee, using clean technologies. In addition, in 2013 it established a brand to offer high quality ground coffee in the domestic market, outsourcing the roasting and grinding processes.

In 2016, the Association finished the construction of a zero-pollution plant, as a collaborative effort among government, private industry and the Association, with an initial investment of $430,000 USD. The Communitarian Plant now uses less than 2.0 Liters of water per kg of dry coffee, handles the by-products without spillage, and uses rain water for the coffee processing.

Since the plant was designed when the Association had only 47 members, there is a need to increase the capacity to process the coffee of the current 123 families and continuing supporting the friendly environmental disposal of the wastewater. To ensure the future of the communitarian facility it is important to promote the generational change, bringing special training in coffee and environmental culture in two elementary schools located in the Cuchilla del San Juan mountain range.

Primary Host Partner

District: 4281

Rotary Club of: Pereira Perla del Otún

Primary Contact: Dario Gasca

Email: optivisi@hotmail.com

Primary International Partner

District: 5190

Rotary Club of: Reno Central

Primary Contact: Michael Rainey

Email: mrainey@tmcc.edu

Project Status

Completed
This project is "Completed". This means the project has been implemented and the report was accepted by The Rotary Foundation. The project will stay listed on this website as a testimony of the achievements of the project partners.

Project listed for the 2019-20 Rotary Year.

The TRF Grant application number is #1872749.

Proposed Financing

Existing Contributions Towards This Project

Date

Cash

DDF

Total

Pereira Perla del Otún (4281)

3-Apr-19

$10,000

$6,000

$16,000

Reno Central (5190)

3-Apr-19

$10,000

$5,000

$15,000

Amount Requested from The Rotary Foundation

$10,000

$11,000

$21,000

Total

$52,000

Note: as of July 1, 2015 there is a 5% additional support fee for cash contributions. This fee does not appear in the financials above because it does not apply if the funds are sent directly to the project account (without going through TRF, and therefore without Paul Harris credit). Clubs sending their cash contribution to TRF must be aware they will have to send an additional 5%.

Project Supporting Documents


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Project Photos


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History Log Entries

3-Apr-19

System Entry

System Entry: Creation of project page.

13-Jul-20

by Michael Rainey

System Entry: Pledge of $10,000 by Michael Rainey of the Rotary Club of Reno Central, District 5190.

13-Jul-20

by Michael Rainey

System Entry: Project is now "Fully Pledged".

16-Jul-20

by Michael Rainey

System Entry: Application Sent to The Rotary Foundation through Member Access.

16-Jul-20

by Michael Rainey

System Entry: Application approved by The Rotary Foundation.

16-Jul-20

by Michael Rainey

System Entry: Payment has been issued by The Rotary Foundation.

2-Apr-21

by Michael Rainey

System Entry: Final Report sent to The Rotary Foundation.

16-Jun-21

by Michael Rainey

System Entry: Final Report approved by The Rotary Foundation.

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