Coffee Quality Institute joined with the African Fine Coffee Association to offer an educational post-harvest processing trip on to their third annual African Fine Coffee Week festivities. Participants enjoyed an immersive coffee education experience at Lulo Farms in Guji, Ethiopia.
The class was underwritten through the Coffee Quality Institute Global Coffee Fund. To mark CQI’s thirtieth anniversary and reaffirm our commitment to our mission - to improve coffee quality and the lives of the people who produce it - CQI is committing up to $300,000 through its Global Coffee Fund and catalyze an additional $200,000 of investment to benefit coffee-growing communities at a time when governments around the world have scaled back funding for overseas development.
The safari was a two day, field-based training featuring the CQI Post-Harvest Processing Good Practices course, combining classroom instruction with real-time learning. Participants gained practical insights to enhance coffee quality, consistency, and sustainability at origin.
Over two days, learners:
● Observed post-harvest practices from cherry selection to drying and storage
● Explored how processing decisions influence cup quality and market value
● Connected with coffee professionals from across Africa and CQI’s global network
The twelve participants were from Ethiopia, Denmark, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The course covered cherry reception and pre-cleaning, pulping, fermentation, and drying. The instructor was also able to add modules on anaerobic fermentation and dry mill machines.
