CoffeeSnobs FairCrack - Yemen Water Projects

[Andy]

With much excitement I would like to announce the start of something great happening on the ground in Yemen.

Yemen has had a pretty rough go of it since 2015, the whole country has been turned upside down yet we have managed to land their amazing coffee in Australia (most years) even though sometimes it looked like a ridiculous risk to do so.

Without making this thread too political the punchline is that the farmers and their families work in some of the roughest, dangerous and most rugged landscapes on earth and the only GDP they create is green coffee bean sales. Obviously coffee needs water but it doesn't always rain on schedule so farmers need dams to buffer the wet/dry and irrigate when the trees really need it.

With great assistance from "our man on the ground" Ahmed who has donated his time to coordinate and transport, he has put together a list of 44 coffee farming family's who have a desperate need for cement to rebuild and seal their dams. From small plot farmers to the village dam (pic below) and they will need between 40 and 100 bags of cement each to complete the work that's been idle since 2015.

Thanks to all you CoffeeSnobs everywhere, FairCrack has just purchased enough cement to help every one of the farming families work towards water security in the future which will improve their crop, help their income and their health too.



Well done Snobs!

Real projects making a real difference, as a community we prove again that it can be done.

[Lyrebird]

Andy

That's a great project, you should be proud of your contribution. I am sure I am not alone in wishing I could help contribute but I don't happen to like Yemeni coffee so I'm not going to buy any.

Have you considered setting up some form of direct contribution or should I just be satisfied that some of my money is being used on equivalent projects in Ethiopia?

[Andy]

"I bought some grapes from Northern Victoria, made some wine and it tastes like vinegar, I don't think Victorian wines are any good."

While you may not like Yemen coffee there is also a chance that your roasting technique didn't suit the bean too. One thing many home roasters find is that when they revisit a bean that they didn't rate highly their skills have improved or technique changed and they now love that same bean.

You have contributed (everyone has). FairCrack raises funds by adding $0.50 per kilo on all coffee sold (green or roasted) and a higher amount on things like roasters. As Mal posted below, you can also donate direct if you like and often CS'rs and site sponsors will swap a good or service for a FairCrack direct donation. The pool then gets spent on projects on the ground. You can also track your own contributions when logged into BeanBay https://beanbay.coffeesnobs.com.au/FairCrack.aspx

[Lyrebird]

You may well be right but I think I don't like Yemeni coffee for the same reasons I don't like much Barossa shiraz. It's a texture thing.

I was able to get it to roast well enough that it tasted like your description, including a viscosity that exceeded what would be expected at the (measured) extract level.

[Dimal]

Here you go Lb...
https://beanbay.coffeesnobs.com.au/V...ircrack-direct

Agree wholeheartedly that this is another wonderful project that is totally worth CSers contributions, and Andy's hard work to get these things started.
Great stuff Andy...

Mal.

[Lyrebird]

Thanks, I will use that.

[Andy]

Who would have thought that a $10 bag of cement could have such a wide and positive effect on lives and coffee production?
It's going to be great to watch this one unfold through the year.

[Andy]

The mountain areas of Yemen get a reasonable amount of rainfall during the wet season (compared to coastal and the plateau areas) but their total annual rainfall is about the same as a "good storm" in Northern Queensland with 400mm dump in a day (like QLD got last week).

Buffering the wet and dry with a dam makes a lot of sense.

[chokkidog]

That's a fabulous project, Andy!! Very chuffed to be part of that. I love the way Faircrack facilitates decolonisation by funding but allows the farming communities to direct and control and have responsibility for the works. Nice work.

[Andy]

I agree @chokkidog
Borderless, apolitical and non religious --- just humans helping humans where we can. I love that our community can do this sort of thing too even in countries that it might not be wise to visit at the moment (which sadly is true for about half the countries on the planet that grow coffee!)

[itsali]

This is awesome!
I just cupped my first roast of the Yemeni Hamasil, and didn't think my grin could get any bigger, until I saw this.

Great work Andy, and thank you for allowing us to be a part of it.

[000lynx]

Thats amazing! I had no idea such real results were taking place. Also, I second itsali's comment on the Yemeni Hamasil. It was absolutely awesome. I loved it. I hope we can keep getting that in!

[Andy]

What a difference a bit of concrete and a whole lot of effort on the ground can make.



Great to see, well done Snobs!

[yochiya]

Something so easily taken for granted yet so essential to everything we need.

Fantastic outcome.

[Dimal]

Excellent stuff Andy...

Always great to see the Fair Crack initiative bearing fruit.

Mal.

[amberale]

I sort of hope the kids get to swim in it too on hot days but I suppose that is verboten.
I’m very happy to be contributing in a tiny way to these projects.

[Andy]

Hadn't thought of kids swimming in it, looks like a ripper pool as long as you had a rope to get back out!

[Rockford]

How did I not see this post before, this is so cool. It is great to see tangible outcomes to your great initiative. I absolutely love Yemeni coffee, having only discovered it this year, yes it is expensive but for me it just produces a sublime coffee. I've had 2 separate people tell me that the cups I've given them of it were up there with the best tasting coffee they have ever had. I don't buy huge amounts of beans so my Faircrack contribution is quite modest and I know I am a bit late to the party and the money is already spent. Anyway I just 'bought' 100Kg equivalent in Donations in recognition of the amazing job they do over there and as a small indirect thank you to them and Ahmed.

[Javaphile]

Hadn't thought of kids swimming in it, looks like a ripper pool as long as you had a rope to get back out!

And knew how to swim, or at least float. That bottom is a loooong ways down!


Java "Flapping his arms" phile

[GregWormald]

I love all the work to which Fair Crack contributes—real change for real people and absolutely low (or no) overheads. I use the donation button as one of my major charity donations!