The 45th edition of the International Ice Cream, Pastry, Artisan Bakery and Coffee Exhibition (SIGEP), the global event dedicated to artisanal ice cream and the art of desserts, ended yesterday. For the first time, six Kenyan coffee cooperatives, partners of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), were able to participate. The cooperatives had the opportunity to promote Kenyan coffee, known as one of the best in the world, within a prestigious international showcase, as well as to meet potential investors and Italian roasters/producers.
The action was made possible thanks to the collaboration between the Kenyan offices of AICS and the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) as part of an initiative promoted by the Italian Cooperation in Kenya to enhance the coffee supply chain, including by improving small producers’ access to markets. The “Arabika: Relaunching Gourmet Coffee Production in Kenya” initiative is financed by AICS in Kenya and it is implemented through the Civil Society Organizations CEFA, AVSI Foundation and with the collaboration of E4Impact.
The initiative, in its fourth year of implementation, affects the entire coffee supply chain, with the aim of improving the income and resilience of small producers in rural communities and increasing the employment inclusion of women and young people. Arabika takes place in seven counties, involving 21 producer cooperatives that bring together over 40,000 small coffee farmers.
Among the events, the talk “Il partenariato nella filiera del caffè: sfide, prospettive, e ruolo del Sistema Italia” saw the participation of AICS Director Marco Riccardo Rusconi, the General Director of ICE Lorenzo Galanti and the Agriculture Attachè of the Kenya Embassy to Italy, Anthony Muriithi.
“Kenya is one of the priority countries for the intervention of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. The projects that we carry out with the Agency’s headquarters in Nairobi, within the framework of the multi-year cooperation program signed by the two Governments, aim to relaunch coffee production, from cultivation to promotion on foreign markets,” Director Rusconi declared. “This approach, that aims to increase the quality of the product, production and naturally the conditions of the workers, distinguishes the intervention of the Italian Cooperation. The Italian system, including the companies in the supply chain – hence the involvement of the ICE – can give an essential contribution in the construction of strong partnerships with African realities“.
