The boss of one of Dundee’s oldest companies says he is trying to “futureproof” the industry through a project more than 7,000 miles from home.
Aimers Coffee and Tea, founded in 1884, is a private label producer. Its products are found mostly at cafes, hotels and restaurants rather than kitchen cupboards.
For the past five years, it has been working on a project at a school in Tanzania to encourage pupils to consider a career in the coffee-making industry.
The project at Msia Secondary School has since involved over 150 students and Aimers chairman Eric Duncan said he was delighted to be making a difference.
Tanzania coffee project by Dundee firm Aimers
Currently the school coffee farm is six acres of 5,649 coffee trees and 131 members (40 graduates and 91 in school).
A total of 40 members have started harvesting coffee and generating their own income.
He said: “The project has been ongoing for five years now.
“It all started with a visit to Kenya about seven years ago.
“We visited a school and the kids’ ambitions didn’t include working in the coffee industry.
“After that, we thought we need to do something to encourage the next generation to work in the industry.
“Rather than going to Kenya, which is slightly more affluent than some African countries, we visited Tanzania and found a school.
“We provide the coffee seedlings to grow at home and they make the money.
“One of the kids has been able to fund going to university through selling the coffee.
“Their wages are obviously vastly different to ours, but they can earn up to six months wages from this.”
Fresh water supply for Tanzania school
The Aimers boss, who visited the school in Tanzania last month, said another major part of the project was to provide the school with fresh water.
He said some pupils were walking up to 10 km to get fresh water.
He added: “We wanted to help them to overcome this, but we don’t have the resources to sink a borehole.”
Aimers decided to invest in the project,
“We were able to generate enough money to find out if there was water there, which there was.
“The well opened last month and there’s now 30,000 litres of water a day available.
“That is not just for the school, but also the local community.”
Eric was invited to open the well last month.
He said the visit was “touching” as hundreds of people turned up to see the well officially opened.
‘Everyone deserves the basics in life’
Aimers – which moved to new premises in Dryburgh Industrial Estate in 2021 – has also helped to provide a meal for each child at the school.
He said: “You don’t realise how poor these folk are. We take so much for granted here.
“It’s nice to know that what you are doing is making a difference to these folk’s lives..
“Everyone deserves the basics in life – to be able to get water and have food on the table.”
“There was between 800 and 1,000 people turned up,” he said.
Eric hopes the coffee project will provide employment options for students.
He also hopes it will reduce school drop-out rates and cut the age gap in coffee farming.
He said getting young people involved in the coffee industry is important.
“We feel we’ve had to put something in to try and future proof the industry. We can’t change the world, but we can make a difference.”
