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16 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 3, 2018 (June / July) Coffee Report: Dan Shryock SCA Sustainability Honors The Specialty Coffee Association recognized two programs as 2018 Sustainability Award winners during its Re:co Symposium in April. Manos al Agua, a program of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia (FNC), received the Project Award for its work on intelli- gent water management at the farm and landscape level in Colombia's coffee sector. The program is a private-public partnership between the FNC, Cenicaf , Nestl , Nespresso, WUR, RVO, and APC Colombia. Twin, a non-governmental organiza- tion, received the Business Model Award for its innovative aid-through-trade model that markets and trades coffee from smallholder farmers in countries across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Twin won an SCA Sustainability Award in 2014 for its work in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). "The SCA has recognized outstand- ing work in the field of sustainability since 2004 and with every year we see greater diversity in the approaches that companies, organizations, and individu- als take to confronting the challenges facing our industry," SCA chief sustain- ability officer Kim Elena Ionescu said in a statement. "This year's awards reflect collaborations that happen across geographies, cultures, and supply-chain roles, and I'm thrilled to be able to celebrate a kind of innovation that benefits all of us." ANGOLA Cazengo Sends Coffee to US Cazengo Coffee, a company with family roots deep in Angolan soil, is exporting that country's coffee to the U.S. retail market for the first time in more than 40 years. The Angolan coffee industry, once the fourth largest coffee producer in the world, was dramatically slowed by years of war. That slowdown acutely affected Cazengo Coffee, a company founded and operated by the Miguel family in Angola for generations. Cazengo marked the recovery of Angolan coffee in April when it sent the first shipment to the United States since 1975. The coffee also was served at the Angolan Embassy on May 5 as part of a Washington, D.C., event. Learn more: www.cazengocoffee.com. COLOMBIA Growers Association Honored The Colombian Coffee Growers Federation is the latest recipient of a Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Stan- dard-Setters Award. The announcement was made May 9. The federation was recognized for its efforts in protecting rainforests, supporting coffee farmers, and promoting sustainability. "As a staunch advocate for rural communities, sustainably grown coffee, and climate change adaptation, the (federation) stands behind the sustain- able agriculture methods of Rainforest Alliance certification," Rainforest Alliance said in a statement. The Colombian Coffee Growers Federation has worked since 1927 to support more than 540,000 coffee-growing families. "For Colombian coffee farmers, sustainability is closely linked to their raison d'être. So much so that over 236,000 coffee farms in Colombia meet some sustainability standard and, by 2027, when the FNC becomes 100 years old, we aspire to make all Colombian coffee sustainable," said federation c.e.o. Roberto V lez. The federation also received an honor in April when the Coffee Quality Institute awarded it the Leadership Medal of Merit for its support of farmers. ETHIOPIA Blockchain Deal Signed Cardano, a cryptocurrency platform, signed with the Ethiopian government in early May to research how blockchain technology can help the nation's coffee industry and agriculture overall. The goal, according to officials, is to improve transparency throughout the green coffee supply chain. As part of the working agreement, Cardano will train as many as 100 local developers on how to use the technol- ogy. Blockchain can help track coffee beans from the farm to the consumer thus validating the origin of products and the export process. Coffee Exports Up Ethiopian coffee exports for the fiscal year ending in February increased nearly 22%, according to the country's Coffee and Tea Development and Marketing Authority. Shafi Umer, authority's deputy director, told The Ethiopian Herald that 137,417 tons of cereal coffee was exported from July to February 2017-18, generating more than $482 million. Reforms instituted in 2016 led to the gains, the official said, including cost reductions and the creation of new opportunities for farmers, suppliers, exporters, and industries to benefit from a direct market chain. Farmers now have improved options to sell their products directly to the industries and suppliers, The Ethiopian Herald reported. Cazengo dark roast ground Richard Anstead, managing director at Twin, accepts the 2018 SCA Sustain- ability Award from Kim Elena Ionescu