Beans add up to make a difference
Holyport: Coffee trader supports gorilla conservation project
A Holyport small business owner has visited Uganda to witness the impact of coffee on the endangered mountain gorilla population.
Vicky Weddell, who owns Moneyrow Beans, is the UK’s ‘sole distributor of Gorilla Conservation Coffee’.
The social enterprise, which was set up by a Ugandan nonprofit NGO, Conservation Through Public Health, helps to conserve mountain gorillas by directly aiding farmers living around the gorillas’ habitat in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Founded by Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda Wildlife Authority’s first vet, the team work to improve healthcare, education, and livelihoods within the Bwindi
community in the area so humans and mountain gorillas can co-exist.
The farmers are provided with a ‘fair price for their coffee beans’ and are supported with equipment and training to help ‘maximise their yields’.
A donation to the conservation of the rare mountain gorillas is also made for every bag of coffee that is sold.
The Gorilla Conservation Coffee farmers are located around the edge of the Bwindi Impenetrable, a national park which is home to about 500 mountain gorillas – almost ‘half of the world’s total population’.
Vicky said: “This trip gave me the chance to meet the coffee farmers and understand more about how Gorilla Conservation Coffee impacts their lives and the lives of the endangered mountain gorillas. I can see that every bag of coffee I sell really does make a difference.”
She added: “Farmers have been given a new income stream meaning they no longer need to use the forest for food and fuel and the gorilla population is starting to show signs of recovery.
“I am very proud to be involved and hope this trip can highlight the vital work being carried out by Gorilla Conservation Coffee and CTPH.”
Visit moneyrowbeans.com for more information.