Our coffee grows in some of the world’s most spectacular regions with incredible biodiversity, flora and fauna, climate, and culture. Coffee is an important source of living for thousands of Nepali farmers.
We work with 15,700 smallholder farmers in districts across Nepal. These include Gorkha, Lamjung, Tanahu, Kaski, Parbat, Syangja, Palpa, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Lalitpur, Kavrepalanchok, Sindhupalchok, Nuwakot, Ilam, and Dhading.
We train our farmers in good agricultural practices (GAP) including organic farming, coffee growing and integrated production.
We provide quality inputs to our farmers such as coffee seedlings, organic fertiliser, farming tools, pulpers, wood for raised beds, and sacks.
CCCU supports farmers and PCCs with technical support to grow seedlings, maintain nurseries and distribute saplings to coffee growers for high quality production.
We have an executive board with 15 officials and members elected from the CCCU general assembly. Representatives of all members cooperatives participates in the general assembly. Members of the Executive board gather technical advisors for training and marketing.
Farmers are also given shade trees including fruit trees, fodder trees, and fast-growing, multipurpose trees. Fruit trees include banana, avocado, orange, jackfruit, and lychee. These fruits can be eaten for improved nutrition and sold, providing another income source for small farms.
Fodder trees are used to feed small livestock such as goats and chickens, and for compost. These animals in turn provide manure for the coffee plants. This way we achieve integrated farming.
CCCU gives farmers access to technical support in the form of production, processing, and marketing, as well as garden management. We do this through training and demonstrations.
We also support inspections and technical guidance to help farmers meet their organic certification requirements.
We are blessed with numerous rivers in our coffee areas. They are culturally and ecologically important. Some rise from our glaciers at 6,500m ASL. Gandaki river it is a tributary of the Ganges in India. It is a major and important river with a deep canyon. There are also Madi, Seti, Kali, Chepe, Daraudi, Aandhi river, Sunkosi, Bhotekosi, Marsyangdi, and other rivers.
Kali River is a lifeline for many farmers all along its course from a tiny village in India. We named it after the Hindu goddess, Kali, a strong symbol of motherly love and creativity.
Our coffee regions are full of ancient legends with strong connections to the land. Coffee grows alongside the Manakanama temple of Gorkha; it is about granting wishes. It was built as a pagoda in traditional Nepali architecture.
Great mountains can also be seen – Annapurna, Lamjung Himal, and even Buddha stupas. The Halesi-Maratika caves and temple are southwest of Mt Everest. Pathibhara Devi is north-east of our coffee lands, a very holy and important temple in our country. Kalinchowk Bhagwati shrine is part of our conservation area of Gaurishankar, high up at 3,842m ASL.
We travel and work across all these lands with thousands of farmers, helping them to grow amazing coffee.
Farmers of PCCs produce coffee cherries. PCCs collect coffee at the pulping centre to prepare dry parchment for sales. The CCCU then collect parchment from PCCs to sell the dry parchment (green bean) to national and international traders.
CCCU and some DCCUs are selling coffee to America, UK, Japan, South Korea, Germany, and Europe.
CCCU supports and advises coffee farmers, PCCs and DCCUs in production, pulping technologies, processing, marketing, and quality management.
We also coordinate with the District Coffee Producers Associations (DCPA) on production matters, and the Nepal Coffee Producers Association (NCPA) for domestic and international sales.
We have a pivotal role to play in maintaining quality and increasing production. We also assist with grants for samplings, fertilizers, and tools for coffee growers at the community level.
