Sunshine on a rainy day - Brighter Tomorrow at Origin

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 10, 2008 – Mister weather man….. what’s happening? Wind, rain, cold, and an early morning rush in the office for a FLAVIA Mars Swirl fix – all most unusual in the middle of the summer. At one point this morning, there was even a discussion about whether or not to switch on the heating….. Don’t worry, we didn’t. We’ve just initiated an office green policy so that just wouldn’t have been at all appropriate (more on that for a later blog).

But instead of putting the heating on, we decided to have a look at the weather where our favourite FLAVIA coffee is grown: the Ndumberi Estate (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid= ...) in the district of Kiambu, Kenya. Well, if you have a tendency for jealousy we’d recommend that you stop reading now…..

….. it’s a beautiful day there - 24oC, sunny, with a light breeze and wonderful visibility. Somebody stop me getting on the next plane out there! All near perfect coffee-growing conditions for the co-operative farmers on this estate which incidentally Mars Drinks supports. One of our five principles (http://www.mars.com/global/Who+We+Are/The+5+Principles.htm) is Mutuality – integral to mutuality is a real commitment to treat our suppliers fairly and with equal respect. And this is at the heart of our Brighter Tomorrow at Origin programme. In an earlier blog we talked about how we pay these co-operatives. However, this commitment goes much deeper: Mars Drinks fund a full range of community and environmental projects within the co-operatives. We have a fundamental belief that support has to make a difference in the long term, and we want to hang around to see it happen!

Part of the thinking behind Brighter Tomorrow, was our constructive response to the status quo of coffee growing, whereby 80% of Kenyan coffee comes from the large, wealthy estates. And we can all do the maths - that leaves a significant 20% which is produced from the small-scale shamba (farm) holders and co-operatives. Due to their size and set-up, these co-operatives often do not have the resources to invest in production facilities and sustainable farming techniques. Therefore in 2006, we sponsored renovation and expansion works to modernise the outdated equipment at Ndumberi. And it wasn’t just a one-hit-wonder - in 2007, we funded the construction of a health clinic for the Ndumberi co-operative and the local community.

At the start of 2008, we decided to initiate further projects such as upgrading and expanding the existing farming facilities, and extending the Ndumberi project to add another Co-op - the Kandara Farmers - into Brighter Tomorrow. This group were among the first Africans in Kenya to plant coffee in the early 1950s and currently hold a membership of 9,352 farmers. With rich deep loam soils, the Co-op has the potential to produce significant amounts of quality coffee for Mars Drinks.

So yes it is a sun-shiny day at the Ndumberi Estate today – but hopefully that feel-good-feeling that comes when the sun shines goes a bit deeper there. Brighter Tomorrow is just that: to ensure a brighter tomorrow through Mars Drinks and its business.