Delicious Peace Grows In a Ugandan Coffee Bean is a documentary currently in production that will present what has been dubbed “the greatest coffee story ever told”: the story of the “Mirembe Kawomera” (literally translated as “delicious peace”) coffee cooperative in Mbale, Uganda comprised of 570 farming families from Christian, Muslim and Jewish backgrounds who have bridged their religious and cultural differences to pool their coffee crops with the joint goals of fair wages and harmonious relationships.  The coop was initiated through a door-to-door campaign in 2004 by Abuyadayan (Jewish) leader and farmer JJ Keki, and his effort was enthusiastically embraced.

Crucial to its success, the coop has established a partnership with Thanksgiving Coffee Company (TCC), a Fair Trade coffee roaster and distributor in Fort Bragg, CA. The Fair Trade movement in the coffee arena supports democratic farm cooperatives, community self-determination, and a wage system in which the collectives are paid a minimum of $1.41 per pound for organic coffee - and TCC pays even more. Consequently, the coop farmers have become spokespeople for the belief that industrial cooperation bridges religious, cultural and other barriers between people, creating a community built on peace and harmony that is worthy of replication worldwide.

The documentary Delicious Peace Grows In a Ugandan Coffee Bean will highlight the successful venture that is Mirembe Kawomera. As we develop the documentary, we invite you to taste the coffee; you can order it at www.mirembekawomera.com.