Gitesi Project is a charitable initiative, placing dairy cows with coffee farming households.

What do we do?

Since 2015, owner of Melbourne-based roaster Fieldwork Coffee, Tim Williams, has brought together a cast of coffee industry partners to raise money in support of Rwandan coffee farmers.

Working in conjunction with his friend and owner of Rwanda’s Gitesi coffee washing station, Aime Gahizi, these funds are used to buy dairy cows and health insurance for the region's poorest farmers.

Together, and with the support of Australian roasters, cafes, and coffee consumers, the Gitesi Project works to help provide better financial stability and health outcomes for vulnerable coffee-farming households in Karongi, Rwanda.

Why cows?

The gifting of cows to under-resourced farming households is a well-established practice in Rwanda, known as a Girinka program.

In the case of smallholder coffee farmers in Karongi, a dairy cow can be an invaluable household resource—providing families with milk for nourishment and sale, as well as organic fertiliser for coffee and other crops.

How does it work?

Australian roasters who have bought green coffee from the Gitesi Washing Station are invited to add a small premium to the roasted coffee they sell, while cafes are invited to add a nominal margin to drinks made with Gitesi coffee.

At the end of the year, these funds are collected and transferred to Rwanda to buy dairy cows and supporting equipment.

Our impact, so far.

To date, over $45,000 has been raised to provide more than 80 families with a cow, a cowshed, access to veterinary services, and other agricultural supports.

In recent years, the program has expanded to also provide health insurance for 100 of the community’s poorest farmers each year.

This year, we’re aiming to raise A$10,000 which would put dairy cows into at least 15 more farming households.