Good coffee is about more than the cup. Buyers also want to know where it comes from, who produces it and what makes a cooperative different. For six Rwandan coffee cooperatives, a communication training programme supported by Progreso Foundation has been an opportunity to strengthen how they share that story and build relationships with buyers.
Over the past year, Progreso´s communications specialist Manon Koningstein facilitated five training sessions, followed by a check-in on 12 October to reflect on what participants had put into practice and where they still needed support. The programme was shaped around the cooperatives’ own needs. An initial workshop and needs assessment highlighted challenges ranging from writing professional emails and communicating with international buyers to managing social media and presenting the cooperative through stories and online content. The sessions covered verbal and written communication, social media management, negotiation, professional correspondence and websites. The emphasis was on practical skills that cooperatives could apply in their everyday work.
Putting communication into practice
Our recent October check-in offered some encouraging examples of how participants were using what they had learned. One participant explained that he had become more aware of the need to keep communication with customers clear and relevant. Previously, he sometimes shared too much information without necessarily addressing what buyers wanted to know. By changing his approach, he felt he was getting better responses and had attracted interest from new potential buyers. One was planning a visit to the cooperative and discussing a possible initial purchase of around 200 kg of green coffee to test the market.
Another participant described how his cooperative had been working to organise farmer groups, including women and young people, and share more of their activities with buyers. He had also changed his own habits: where he might previously go several days without checking the cooperative’s email or social media, he now checks these channels much more regularly and responds more promptly. These examples show that improving communication does not always require sophisticated tools or large budgets. Clearer messages, more regular responses and a better understanding of what buyers want to know can already make a difference.
Keeping the conversation going
The discussion also highlighted a challenge that goes beyond finding new buyers: maintaining relationships between harvests. As Progreso’s Rwanda team pointed out, buyers may be in regular contact when coffee is available, but communication can fade once a shipment has been delivered. Staying in touch throughout the year helps keep relationships active and gives buyers a better understanding of the cooperative and its work.
There are many simple ways to do this. Updates about flowering coffee trees, ripening cherries, farmer groups or preparations for the next harvest can give buyers a glimpse of what is happening at origin, even when they are far away. The key is to share relevant information regularly, without overwhelming them. The check-in also brought up areas where cooperatives still need support, particularly developing content, taking and using photographs, managing websites and communicating with potential buyers. Some have websites that they cannot update themselves, meaning information can quickly become outdated.
Building on the progress
The training has given the cooperatives a starting point, but putting new communication practices into place takes time. The next step is therefore to understand what each cooperative needs most and provide more targeted support. Progreso’s Rwanda team is following up with the cooperatives to identify these priorities. Ultimately, good communication helps buyers see the people and work behind the coffee. For the cooperatives, the challenge now is to keep telling that story, and to make it part of how they build lasting relationships with the market.
