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Driving positive and sustainable change in coffee farming

MISSION

The ViFOUNDATION is dedicated to fostering positive and sustainable change within coffee farming communities. Our primary focus is on mitigating risks and enhancing the livelihoods of coffee farmers and their communities. We actively promote the adoption of progressive agricultural practices among coffee farmers.

Would you like to learn more about our projects, support our work, or share your own project ideas? Please reach out to Pascal Herzog pascal.herzog@vicollective.ch


ViCAFE x ViFOUNDATION

The ViFOUNDATION is an independent foundation under Swiss law and regulated by the Federal Foundation Supervisory Authority. The ViCOLLECTIVE AG supports the ViFOUNDATION financially through donations and pro bono work.

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ViCAFE makes a pledge, from July 2023 onwards, to donate 0.5 CHF to the ViFOUNDATION for every kg of coffee sold.

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We believe that the ViFOUNDATION’s independence underscores the importance of addressing the challenges faced by coffee-producing countries. The ViFOUNDATION serves as an open platform for companies, organizations, and individuals interested in contributing to positive change in coffee farming.

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OUR PROJECTS

Bring digital advice to farmers with farmbetter

Digital Advice to farmers with farmbetter

– Digital advice to farmers with farmbetter

 

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Rwenzori's Potential

Rwenzori's potential

– Rwenzori’s Potential

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Closing the Equity Circle - Farmer Financial Participation Program

Closing the Equity Circle

– Phantom Stock Program (WIP)

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Bio-Fabrica - Compost Facility Finca Los Nogales

Bio-Fabrica

– Compost Facility Finca Los Nogales

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Bring back the Trees - Mondul Afforestation Program

Bring back the Trees

– Mondful Afforestation Program

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Aprolma's Wishlist

Aprolma's Wishlist

– Gifts for the women of Aprolma 

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Bring Water Up

– Solar irrigation for Ciumenene

Bring Water Up

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PARTNERSHIPS

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ViCAFE Logo
Zurich Insurance Logo
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ViCAFE Logo
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THE BOARD

Kurt Lambert, Chairman of the Board
KURT LAMBERT
Chairman & Co-Founder & Chairman of ViCAFE, Drives different ventures
Johanna Jacobi, Board Member
JOHAMMA JACOBI
Member // Assistant Professor of Agroecological Transitions at ETH Zurich
Mark Heasman, Board Member
MARK HEASMAN
Member & Head of Activism at Zurich Foundation, Sustainability-focussed philanthropy expert
Pascal Herzog, Board Member
PASCAL HERZOG
Member & Executive Management Team at ViCAFE: Sourcing, Roastery, Bakery & Impact
Silvio Mattanza, Board Member
SILVIO MATTANZA
Member & Vice-Chairman Board Member at ViCAFE, Risk & Compliance Officer at Spectravest
Kurt Lambert, Chairman of the Board

Kurt Lambert

Chairman // Co-Founder, Chairman of ViCAFE, Drives different ventures

Johanna Jacobi, Board Member

Johanna Jacobi

Member // Assistant Professor of Agroecological Transitions at ETH Zurich

Mark Heasman, Board Member

Mark Heasman

Member // Head of Activism at Zurich Foundation, Sustainability-focussed philanthropy expert

Pascal Herzog, Board Member

PASCAL HERZOG

Member // Executive Management Team at ViCAFE: Sourcing, Roastery, Bakery & Impact

Silvio Mattanza, Board Member

SILVIO MATTANZA

Member // Vice-Chairman Board Member at ViCAFE, Risk & Compliance Officer at Quantex

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CONTACT

Let's make a difference, together.

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Let's make a difference, together.

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Bringing digital advice to farmers with farmbetter

farmbetter is on a mission to provide digital advice to smallholder farmers, making knowledge about sustainable agronomic practices readily available. Together, we aim to establish small farmer groups where farmers can access and exchange best practices, share experiences, and promptly report issues on their farms, regardless of the crop affected. Our origin trips will not only document emerging best practices but also preserve traditional knowledge that is increasingly endangered by standardized farming methods.

 

In East Africa, we work to provide access to low-orbit weather satellite data and have developed a market access tool that connects Kenyan small-scale farmers with Nairobi’s demand for organically grown food through a local PGS (Participatory Guarantee System) program.

 

Specifically for coffee, we aim to identify the most relevant, peer-reviewed lessons on agroecology farming and make them available to all our partner farms and the surrounding communities. This will empower them to decide how they would like to restore their farms and nurture their communities. 

Where

global, current focus on Kenya

When

2024-2025

budget

USD 100’700

RWENZORI'S POTENTIAL

Composting in Uganda 

In 2023, ViCAFE established a small holder cluster consisting of three farms in the Rwenzori Mountains, situated on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). During visits to these communities, two prominent challenges became evident. Firstly, there has been a drastic reduction in forest cover since the 1990s (an issue addressed by other foundations and NGOs). Secondly, farmers lack knowledge on how to effectively utilize organic material on their farms to enhance crop productivity. Often, they do not employ any sustainable feeding systems or rely heavily on expensive imported mineral fertilizers.

 

 

 

To tackle these issues, we initiated a composting project. In collaboration with the Ugandan coffee exporter Kyagalanyi, the foundation supported the development of state-of-the-art training materials, established model composting facilities, and organized training sessions for agronomists and model farmers to serve as knowledge multipliers.

Where

Uganda, Rwenzori Mountains

When

2023-2024

budget

USD 4’436

CLOSING THE EQUITY CIRCLE

Farmer Financial Participation Program
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Coffee farmers generally earn relatively little but bear considerable risks, especially with the increasingly unpredictable and severe weather due to climate change. In other words, farmers face an unfavorable risk-reward balance. Additionally, we have noticed that farming communities rarely have access to the global equity market, which historically offers great financial returns.

 

To address this, we decided to develop a Financial Participation Program. This program involves issuing and donating a financial derivative that represents the value of a ViCOLLECTIVE AG (ViCAFE and Vivi Kola) share. Our goal is to create financial resilience among coffee farmers by bridging the equity gap between farmers and the coffee roaster/coffee shop company. After a three-year holding period, farmers are allowed to sell the derivative back to the foundation using a simple valuation formula (1*revenue of ViCOLLECTIVE AG). The payout is unconditional. Currently, only family-owned farms can participate. Farmers receive financial training and an annual report on the financial performance of ViCOLLECTIVE AG.

 

Last year, we initiated a pilot program in Colombia. While launching the pilot, we encountered various legal challenges, which significantly increased transaction costs. 

Where

Colombia

When

2024 onwards

TEST
budget

USD 4’000

BIO FABRICA

Compost Program on Finca Los Nogales

Oscar Hernandez from Finca Los Nogales
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Oscar is one of ViCAFE’s longstanding coffee partners. At his Finca Los Nogales in Huila, Southern Colombia, he and his family are dedicated to advancing sustainable agricultural practices and push the boundaries of post harvest coffee processing. Oscar initiated the idea to establish a local composting facility on his property. This initiative has inspired neighboring farmers to either utilize the Los Nogales composting facility for their organic waste disposal or establish their own facilities. Additionally, Oscar conducts workshops on composting for the local farming community.


The ViFOUNDATION is providing financial assistance to Oscar for setting up this facility. The objective is to reduce dependence on synthetic fertilizers at Oscar’s farm and others in the region, thereby enhancing soil quality. The facility aims to produce approximately 30 tonnes of compost per year.

Bio Fabrica Compost Los Nogales

Where

Finca Los Nogales, Huila, Colombia

When

2022 – 2023

budget

USD 13’501

Bring back the Trees

Mondul Afforestation Program

Monduli Mountains on Mondul Coffee Estate
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Monocultures typically increase the vulnerabilities of ecosystems towards climate change. Forests, on the other hand, increase biodiversity, create microclimates with reduced temperatures and protect soil from erosion. Therefore, we started an afforestation project on the ViCAFE’s partner farm in Tanzania, Mondul Coffee Estate. The employees of the farm will also intercrop coffee with other fruits and vegetables, making them economically more resilient towards droughts and market changes. By the end of 2023, there will be 46 acres of newly planted indigenous forest on the beautiful hills of the Monduli Mountains with about 100 more acres to be transformed into a diverse and drought resistant forest in the coming years.

Planting trees on Mondul Coffee Estate

Where

Mondul Coffee Estate Monduli, Tanzania

When

2022 – ongoing

budget

USD 58.122

APROLMA'S WISHLIST

Aprolma Women Cooperative Honduras Group Picture with Bianca

Since 2016 ViCAFE works together with the Aprolma Women’s Cooperative in La Paz, Honduras (65 members). When visiting in 2022 we sat together with some of the women and asked them about what they wish for. In the end we had a list with nine very hands-on wishes. Together with the staff of ViCAFE we collected the required 7000 USD.

Aprolma Women Cooperative Honduras

Where

Honduras, La Paz

When

2022/2023

budget

USD 4723

BRING WATER UP

Solar water pump for irrigation

Ciumenene Farm is in the highlands of Kiambu, Kenya. The region suffers from long periods of drought due to climate change. Daniel and his family, who are the owners of Ciumenene, wanted to find a solution to this problem with a water storage system that would allow him to irrigate his crops. The water is pumped up the mountain using a solar-powered pump. It is then distributed to the coffee plants by gravity, allowing for good flowering and growth of the cherries and, ultimately, a stable income for the owners.

Kenia_Ciumenene_ViCAFE

Where

Kenya, Kiambu

When

2023

budget

USD 5247