New website

We have finally gotten our new website up and running. Now with better layout and a lot of new pictures. Take a look here: www.wild-tracks.com. We are, naturally, celebrating with a cup of coffee!

Computer Lessons

Amani, who was on an exchange with Fredskorpset to Norway last year, has lately been holding computer lessons for the Aranga Coffee Group. The farmers want to learn how to use a computer for several reasons, it will for example be easier for them to communicate with other farmers, Tanzania Coffee Research Institute and to learn more about coffee production and the coffee market. It will also be useful in the on-going project of becoming Fair Trade and Organic certified. 

We were able to buy a computer and give lessons to the Aranga Coffee Group through Amani's following-up program after his exchange. He is teaching them basic computer skills, such as how to use the Internet, send e-mails and use programs like Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point.

Amani says the farmers are doing well in class! 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from us and Aranga Coffee Group! This is a new group photo of the coffee group, there are now 28 families in the group.

GPS-measurements of the farms

Before Christmas we went to all the farms in Aranga Coffee Group to take GPS-measurements and visit the farmers. To get an organic certification we need a map of all the farms in the Aranga Coffee Group and their office. All maps will include GPS data, the farmers house, the coffee farm, other farm areas and the neighbours of the farmers. With maps the certification organization will know what is next to the organic coffee, and see the border between organic and non-organic coffee (if the farmer also has some non-organic coffee). With the GPS-measurements we will make a map of the whole village to see the location of the farms together.

Many of the farmers have already done a very good job making maps of their land and in January everything will be ready.

FK 2014

Wild Tracks has started an exchange program with the Norwegian Peace Corps (FK – Fredskorpset) and Friends Fair Trade in Norway. Every year Wild Tracks is sending two workers to Norway to work in Friends Fair Trade’s shop in Oslo, where they also sell our coffee. Friends Fair Trade is sending two workers to Wild Tracks in Tanzania. Here they are learning more about organic and fair trade farming, coffee and the Tanzanian culture and working environment. The workers from Tanzania in Oslo are learning more about Norwegian consumers, Fair Trade and are promoting Wild Tracks’ coffee.

Farmers Market

Every first Saturday in the month Oikos Arusha arrange Farmers Market in Arusha town. Here you can relax in the green garden with our organic coffee and banana cake, or buy coffee to bring home.

At the market you can also find organic vegetables, Italian cheese, homemade whole grain pasta, Tanzanian wine, bread, cakes, and Tanzanian cosmetics. Karibu sana!

Coffee auction

Aranga Coffee Group sell all their coffee to Wild Tracks every year. They don`t have to worry about selling the coffee at the auction, where the price usually is very low and the competition is high. But according to the Tanzanian law, all coffee produced in the country must go through the coffee auction in Tanzania, because the government wants to keep track of the production in the country.

Wild Tracks and Aranga Coffee Group set a price for the coffee every year, around 3 times higher the average price on the market. After Wild Tracks have bought the coffee we have to bring it to the coffee auction to buy the coffee from ourselves before anybody else buys it.

Wild Tracks go to the coffee auction at The Kahawa House in Moshi, about 1,5 hour from Arusha. Before the auction you get the opportunity to do a cupping of all the coffee. After tasting almost all the coffee for the auction we know for sure that the coffee from the Aranga Coffee Group is worth the money.