Did you know that since 2007 Abergavenny has had an informal link with a town in southern Ethiopia?
Yirgacheffe is an urban hub, surrounded by lush rainforest: its plentiful rains, warm climate and fertile soil makes it ideally suited to the coffee bush which grows at altitude, under the dense tree canopy. When the link was first established we were unaware that the region was famous for its Arabica coffee – also considered to be one of the finest beans in the world. During a return visit in 2012, local people impressed upon us that a good link would be through buying the coffee which bears the same name as their town.
Buying beans on the world market is a complicated business, so for the past seven years we have been sourcing beans through trusted Importers who we know are buying directly from farmers and Co-operatives, close to the town. We buy in small quantities (120kg-240kg per year) and have the beans roasted in small batches by Black Mountain Roast in Hay-on-Wye before selling to businesses and individuals around Abergavenny. We are volunteers, and the profit made on every bag goes back to Yirgacheffe to support schools, there. Over the years, your money has paid for new furniture and classrooms, and now, as the schools are closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Mayor and Headteachers want to use this time for making emergency repairs to the buildings.
We need your help. The pandemic has hit our coffee sales: businesses who once bought in bulk now have staff working from home, and with events like the Food Festival being cancelled, sales are down. We have a new batch of mellow, golden coffee ready to sell and to do this we have teamed up with Abergavenny Community Centre who is providing a welcome outlet in these unusual times. We sell 250g bags of whole beans or ground coffee for £5, and after costs for raw beans, transport, roasting, grinding & packaging are deducted, a donation of at least £1.50 goes toward the Schools Refurbishment Fund.
If you would like your coffee purchases to make a difference to the people and the place where it originates, please contact us on 07751 666 481 or find Two Towns Trading Coffee Link on Facebook for how to buy it. Thank you for your support.
Helen, Jenny, Shirley & Marion
