Established in 1999, the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union has quickly become the largest Fair Trade coffee producer in Ethiopia. The OCFCU was formed when 23,691 members of 35 small cooperatives came together with the goal of exporting their coffee directly to the specialty market. All six of their Oromia Highland Coffee varieties (Yirgacheffe, Sidamo, Limu, Lekemptl, Jima, & Harrar) are grown by indigenous farmers in the southwestern rainforests of Ethiopia. Oromia's coffee is heirloom, forestgrown, & organic. In 2005, the cooperative was awarded first place for their unwashed coffee in the East African Fine Coffee Association cupping competition. Of the top ten qualifiers in the competition, three were Oromia members. Focusing on 100% organic production, Oromia produces approximately 70 containers annually and has over 7,000 members who are Fair Trade certified.
