QUEENSLAND, Australia – AgUnity Pty Ltd, a global technology company with a mission to empower smallholder farmers, strengthen farmer cooperatives and promote ethical trade, has signed a partnership agreement with Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (OCFCU) to support their digital transformation journey.
The largest coffee cooperative in Africa, OCFCU has 560,000 farmer members, and AgUnity’s innovative technology will help streamline operations, increase transparency, and improve market access.
With this partnership, AgUnity will assist OCFCU in adopting and integrating digital solutions to optimise their supply chain, communication, and member services. This digital enablement will not only empower the smallholder farmers but also strengthen the cooperative’s position in the competitive global coffee market.
AgUnity has been building on its prior work in Ethiopia, where it worked with the World Food Programme, GIZ, and DFAT in coffee, to create a more efficient, transparent, and sustainable coffee supply chain. This new partnership with OCFCU will further strengthen AgUnity’s presence in Ethiopia, and showcase its ability to deliver value to cooperatives, unions, and buyers.
AgUnity CEO, David Davies, expressed his excitement about this new partnership, saying, “It’s brilliant to be working with OCFCU to help improve the lives of Ethiopian coffee farmers. This will enhance the cooperative’s operational efficiency, market access, and member support services. Given there are roughly 4-million coffee farmers in Ethiopia, our tech has the potential to make a significant difference, and we are committed to using our solutions to create positive change throughout the entire value chain around the world.”
This type of technology comes at an important time as commodity traders worldwide look to comply with the upcoming EU regulations on supply chain transparency, specifically the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting proposal. These regulations, which impact both EU and non-EU countries, require companies to provide detailed information about their supply chains’ social and environmental impact. Aware of this demand, AgUnity’s solutions offer transparency, traceability, and sustainability for cooperatives, unions, and buyers in coffee supply chains, aligning with the EU’s push for greater accountability and responsibility in corporate practices.
OCFCU General Manager, Dejene Dadi, expressed the importance of the cooperation:
“We are extremely grateful for the support and dedication that AgUnity has shown towards our cooperative over the years. Their expertise in organising our information structure and guiding us through our digital transformation journey has been invaluable. Not only have they helped us optimise our internal processes, but they have also played a crucial role in connecting us with potential buyers and expanding our market presence. We look forward to continuing our partnership with AgUnity and together making a positive impact on the lives of our farmer members and the coffee industry as a whole.”
– Dejene Dadi, General Manager, Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (OCFCU)
Having raised $2M USD from VCs and HNWs to date, AgUnity is raising a new round of capital to support its growth in multiple markets, including this work with OCFCU in Ethiopia.
