 | Impact, special achievements & commitments |  |  | Original Food GmbH was founded in 2004 in order to support and advance an integrated development and environment project in Ethiopia. Its core idea is to combine forest conservation and forest use – by creating an economic incentive for smallholder farmers to sustainably use non-timber forest products and thereby protect the natural habitat. Kafa in the southwest of Ethiopia is known for being the birthplace of Coffea arabica where coffee still grows wild in a unique diversity. Original Food pays very high prices for this treasure which is picked by the local people. Wild coffee has thus become source of income for more than 8.000 farmers and forest protection a genuine interest of the community. In 2015, the project in Kafa was extended to the neighbouring rainforest of Sheka. The prices which Original Food pays do not only cover production costs, but also take into account reasonable profits and measures to improve the social structure of the region. They include a social premium to the producer organization for financing social, educational, health and environmental projects or as additional income for smallholder farmers. In the case of Sheka, the Farmers' Union has been supported in implementing the Fair for Life-certification. |