Give a gift. Create a market.
This holiday season ACDI/VOCA has compiled a list of items produced by our beneficiaries. A purchase from this list brings you one step closer to completing your shopping, while creating a market for goods produced by small- and medium-scale farmers and entrepreneurs around the globe. All items can either be purchased in U.S. stores or online.
Coffee
Colombian Los Idolos and Los Idolos Dark Coffee
Rating from Coffee Review: 92
Featuring strong aroma and rich, well-balanced flavor, this Goodwill coffee is grown by local farmers high in the mountains of Colombia and named for the "Los Idolos," a well-known archeological site located nearby. Coffee Masters has formed a unique relationship with the villagers of San Agustin that helps ensure both their livelihood and the future of this extraordinary community.
ACDI/VOCA has provided support to the coffee farmers of San Agustin through its Colombia Specialty Coffee Project.
Available for purchase online from Coffee Masters:
http://www.coffeemasters.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=CSV
http://www.coffeemasters.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=CSCRV
Allegro Coffee Company - Rwanda Karaba
Rating from Coffee Review: 96
Notes of brown sugar and honey with crisp, clean acidity and a buttery finish. Rwanda has gone from being almost unknown in coffee to one of the hottest new specialty origins in the world. Our beans are produced by the Koakaka cooperative outside the village of Karaba where the rolling red-soiled hillsides are dotted with lush garden-like farms of Bourbon variety coffee and various food crops. There are two washing stations in Karaba for timely and conscientious centralized processing of the coffee cherries and each day's production is cupped and evaluated by local cuppers to create a consistently delicious cup.
ACDI/VOCA has provided support to the Koakaka cooperative through its Rwandan Agribusiness and Natural Resource Management project.
Available for purchase at Whole Foods Market.
Rwanda Maraba Bourbon
From Abahuzamugambi Bakawa Co-operative Kizzi, Maraba district, Southern Rwanda.
Outstandingly sweet and zesty with sparkling citrus flavours that combine with deep chocolate notes for an intriguing finish. A wonderfully bright coffee that really captures the spirit of Africa and this nation in a cup.
ACDI/VOCA has provided support to the Maraba cooperative through its Rwandan Agribusiness and Natural Resource Management project.
Available for purchase online from Union Roasters:
http://www.unionroasted.com/quickshop.aspx
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Oromia Cooperative Coffee
Rating from Coffee Review: 95
Classic Yirgacheffe, notes of citrus peel, exotic spices and Darjeeling tea infuse the cup. Clean, noble acidity is what one looks for in a great Yirg.
ACDI/VOCA has provided support to the Oromia Cooperative through its Agricultural Cooperatives in Ethiopia (ACE) project.
Available for purchase online from Sacred Grounds:
http://www.sacred-grounds.com/oretyir.html
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Hama Coffee
Rating from Coffee Review: 91
This coffee was purchased from smallholding farmers, in this case the farmers of the Hama (also Hamma) Cooperative. A dry-processed or "natural" coffee, meaning the beans were dried inside the fruit rather than after the fruit has been removed, as is the case with wet-processed or "washed" coffees. A hint of roast taste, full body and a salty-sweet nuance in the fruit make this an interesting choice for those who avoid assertively acidy or floridly fruity coffees.
ACDI/VOCA has provided support to the Hama Cooperative through its Agricultural Cooperatives in Ethiopia (ACE) project.
Available for purchase online from Johnson Brothers Coffee Roasters:
http://www.johnsonbrotherscoffee.com/buy_hama.htm
Ethiopia Sidamo Coffee by Starbucks®
From the birthplace of coffee, Sidamo is highly prized by coffee buyers from around the world. It features a fleeting, floral aroma with a bright yet soft finish and, like the best Sidamo coffees, a wonderful hint of lemon.
ACDI/VOCA has provided support to the Ferro Cooperative from which Starbucks sources some of its Sidamo coffee through its Agricultural Cooperatives in Ethiopia (ACE) project.
Available for purchase online from Starbucks:
http://www.starbucksstore.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=312976
Chocolate
Dove Origins from Ecuador
Dove Origins delivers the flavors of Ecuador, Ghana and the Dominican Republic. Made with pure cocoa beans from each location and featuring a 61 percent cocoa content, Dove Origins products are available in 3.5-oz. tablet bars and a 4.6-oz. stand-up pouch of tasting squares.
ACDI/VOCA has provided support to smallholder Ecuadorian cocoa farmers that supply the cocoa to Mars for this confection through its SUCCESS Alliance Ecuador project.
Available for purchase at Target and Wal-Mart.
Kaoka Ecuador 80% Chocolate Bar
Kaoka has partnered with UNOCACE (Union of the Ecuador National Cocoa Producers) made up of 12 cooperatives, to source this chocolate. This item is for those who prefer a chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa solids, this bar is an organic dark chocolate with 80 percent cocoa solids. A Fair Trade chocolate.
ACDI/VOCA has provided support to UNOCACE through its SUCCESS Alliance Ecuador project.
Available for purchase online from the British website Zonker:
http://www.zonker.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=133&products_id=565
eChocolates Plantation™ Line from Ecuador
100% Arriba Cocoa • Rainforest Alliance Certified Sustainable Cocoa Program
Grown solely in Ecuador, "Arriba" is a special cocoa varietal with a perfumed floral scent. Its flavor is smooth, with a dominant jasmine note and nutty after-tones. In order to present you with the purest flavor of Arriba chocolate, there is no vanilla nor "covering" aroma or extra vegetable fat added to this bar - just the cocoa bean, carefully roasted and ground. Plantations allows you to experience the uniquely rich Arriba aromas in baking or tasting bars from 65% to 100% cocoa. The 100% Arriba bar and baking chocolate is completely sugar-free.
ACDI/VOCA has provided support to smallholder Ecuadorian cocoa farmers that supply the cocoa for thePlantations Line through its SUCCESS Alliance Ecuador project.
Available for purchase online from eChocolates:
Plantation Bars
Plantation Baking Chocolates
Also available for purchase at various retail locations in the U.S, see the full list here.
Alter Eco Fair Trade Chocolate from the El Ceibo Cooperative in Bolivia
All of Alter Eco’s chocolates are Fair Trade Certified™. This means that the farmers who grew the ingredients were paid a better, more stable price for their crops than in conventional trade. This cocoa in the El Ceibo line chocolate was grown and harvested by members of the El Ceibo cooperative located in the heart of the Bolivian Amazon. By purchasing this chocolate, you are directly helping 800 small-scale farmers achieve higher living standards and protect their environment through sustainable agriculture.
El Ceibo has been a long-standing partner of ACDI/VOCA's in Bolivia, and has received assistance through several of ACDI/VOCA's Bolivia programs.
Available for purchase online from Alter Eco:
Dark Almond Chocolate Bar - Organic
Dark Blackout (85%) Chocolate Bar - Organic
Dark Cacao (73%) Chocolate Bar - Organic
Dark Twist Chocolate Bar
Dark Velvet Chocolate Bar
Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Bar
Wine
Saparevi, a Red Georgian Wine by Teliani Valley (100% Saperavi)
This beautiful, powerful Saperavi offers aromas of black cherry and cassis, followed by full, ripe fruit flavors and hint of spiced oak. The tannins are ripe and integrate a generous dose of cedar and vanilla that fans out in the finish. Enjoy this powerful wine with barbeque.
Erez Klein, a wine specialist for Whole Foods in Seattle, has said that Saperavi could become a hot new wine like Argentine Malbec.
ACDI/VOCA has provided support to Teliani Valley PLC through its Georgia AgVANTAGE project.
Available for purchase at Whole Foods Market, and other retailers in the District of Columbia, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California and Washington. For a complete list of retailers, visit the Georgian Wine House website: http://www.georgianwinehouse.com/Availability.asp
Tsinandali, a White Georgian Wine by Teliani Valley (80% Rkatsiteli, 20% Mtsvane)
Classic in style, it has been cold-fermented in stainless steel tanks to maintain the variety of its characteristics: round and supple with floral note, apple and apricot aftertaste. Well-integrated giving an overall balance, moderate length in the finish. Enjoy the dry white wine with fish and light spicy foods.
ACDI/VOCA has provided support to Teliani Valley PLC through its Georgia AgVANTAGE project.
Available for purchase at Whole Foods Market, and other retailers in the District of Columbia, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California and Washington. For a complete list of retailers, visit the Georgian Wine House website: http://www.georgianwinehouse.com/Availability.asp
Handicrafts
Bolivian Handicrafts from ComArt Tukuypaj
Thirty-seven artisans and producer groups, the majority of which are women, comprise ComArt Tukuypaj. The nonprofit was established to market products ranging from ceramics to clothing and accessories to baskets and more.
ACDI/VOCA has provided support to ComArt Tukuypaj through its Worldwide Farmer-to-Farmer program.
Available for purchase under the label Carpenter + Company at the National Cathedral gift shop in Washington, D.C. and ABC Carpet and Home, the Folk Art Museum and the Museum of Art and Design in New York City. For information about Carpenter + Company's line made by ComArt, click here and go to Bolivia.
Also available for purchase online directly from ComArt: http://www.comart-tukuypaj.com
Loan Money Directly to ACDI/VOCA Clients through Kiva.org
MicroInvest, a microfinance institution established by ACDI/VOCA in Tajikistan, has teamed up with Kiva to provide its clients with the opportunity to receive person-to-person loans.
Kiva enables lenders to browse and select from thousands of businesses based on region, gender, sector and more. After a business is selected, the lender may contribute as little as $25 or the full loan amount. Lenders receive e-mail journal updates about their businesses and after the loan is repaid, typically within 6-12 months, the money can be loaned to the same business again, loaned to another business or withdrawn.
MicroInvest was established by ACDI/VOCA through the Ferghana Valley Regional Microfinance Program with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). By the program's end in 2006, MicroInvest had become financially sustainable and operationally self-sufficient thus promoting the program goals of increasing small business access to capital, and, more broadly, generating income and employment opportunities.
For a full listing of MicroInvest clients on the Kiva website, click here.
Although ACDI/VOCA has in various ways supported or assisted the firms and organizations manufacturing the products highlighted above, ACDI/VOCA provides no warranty or guaranty of the quality, safety or merchantability of the products being offered for sale, nor does it assume any responsibility for the sale or delivery of such products.