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Coffee is the first agricultural product traded in the world, even before wheat, and the second raw material, surpassed only by oil, in global exchanges. These two figures would be enough to explain why Africa e Affari and the E4Impact Foundation, together with Ethiopian Airlines and AICS, have decided to organize a conference dedicated to the relationship tomorrow from 15 to 17 at ALTIS of the Catholic University via San Vittore 18 in Milan between Italy and Africa precisely with regards to coffee.
Coffee production employs about 100 million families worldwide for a turnover of almost 200 billion dollars. Half of the 54 countries that produce this product are located in Africa and two of them, Ethiopia and Uganda, are among the top 10 producers in the world. Italy, which counts two large groups (Lavazza and Segafredo) among the top 10 coffee companies in the world, is often one of the main partners of African countries in the field of coffee. But there are still many margins for this special relationship to grow and improve, thanks to the need to shorten the supply chain and the demand from consumers for certified and sustainable coffee.
Some of the absolute protagonists of the sector will talk about these issues. Starting with Mario Cerutti, Chief Institutional Relations & Sustainability Officer at the Lavazza Group (but also with important management roles in the main world coffee associations), who will talk about the experience of a large group. Alongside one of the global giants, the story of Joseph Nkandu will be told, who, with his NUCAFE association, coordinates the work of 1.5 million coffee producers in Uganda, and the special relationship built with Marco Dalla Ragione of the Caffe River SpA company.
After the focus on the private sector, the meeting will address the issues of social and environmental sustainability of coffee, a fundamental aspect considering that, especially in Africa, production is in the hands of small owners who receive less than 5% of the value of the coffee produced and which often remain squeezed between intermediaries and institutions to be improved. Giulio Di Pinto of the Nairobi office of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and Frank Cinque, director of the E4Impact Foundation, will take stock of these aspects and the activities implemented by Italy. Matteo Masini of the ICE agency will instead present a new project to connect the production chain of some African countries to that of Italian processing, coordinating the African presence at one of the main trade fairs in the sector, SIGEP in Rimini. Speeches by Paul Renda, CEO Miller Group and Co-Founder Spartan Tech, and by Valerio Domenici, Head of Africa Case-IH (CNH Group), will then follow, who will present new technologies (blockchain) and new machines to support the production chain. Participation in the meeting is free.
To register in attendance, click here.
To participate online, click here.
Read our latest issue dedicated to the challenges of the coffee supply chain in Africa: https://www.africaeaffari.it/rivista/riscoprire-il- Valore-del-caffe
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