Following the typical structure of smallholder production in the country, the Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (SCFCU), founded in 2001, represents about 50 primary cooperatives with more than 80,000 members across the mountains and valleys of Sidama in southern Ethiopia. Together, farmers produce around 165,000 bags of organic Arabica coffee per year.
Small farmers benefit from SCFCU membership because the organization provides scholarships for hundreds of children and has financed the construction of three new primary school buildings. Many primary cooperatives use certification premiums to improve community infrastructure by building communal offices, warehouses and installing electrical lines serving over 5,000 community members.
