At Kahawa 1893, we’re on a mission to empower women farmers and create wealth-generating projects for future generations. That’s why every bag of Kahawa 1893 coffee features a QR code where you can tip your farmer directly.

The tips you send go directly to your farmers and are distributed using a system called Table Banking.

What is Table Banking?

Table banking has paved the way for innovation and economic empowerment for women in Kenya. It’s a group-based funding strategy that allows members to save and borrow money during set meeting times.

It’s similar to a loan lending service where the group decides their own rules, interest rates, and repayment terms.

Table Banking allows our women farmers to hold leadership over their own finances, pool money, and distribute loans for specific needs and projects within the group.

How are Tips Used?

When you send a tip, you put the power into our farmers' hands to create important community projects. In May of 2022, your support and tips helped the Gasharu family organize and distribute 52 goats to our women farmers in Rwanda.

We celebrated with the women of Urugori coffee processing community, who received these 52 goats on Mother's Day. It was a great opportunity to honor the women who make it happen at the coffee farms and processing stations.

In Kenya, the women used their tips to build a corn-meal processing plant. Corn-meal is the most common meal enjoyed in Kenya, but without a machine to process corn nearby, the women would have to walk many miles a day to access one. 

With your tips, our women farmers in Kenya were able to build their own processing station to serve their community. It now generates income and employs some of the women. 

The Impact

Every cup of Kahawa is not only delicious, but it creates a double impact for the farmers. We’re able to provide a market to support small-scale coffee farmers and with your tips, create economic opportunities for the women to end the cycle of poverty. With the additional income generated by tips, the women can invest in the education of the girls in their family as a new priority.

The story of coffee is one with a complicated history of colonialism and inequity. With Kahawa 1893, we’re rewriting the story - using coffee as a tool for gender equity and economic empowerment for the community. 

We need your help to make this a reality. Our story is in your hands, let’s grow it together. 

Thank you,

Margaret, Founder

Tip Your Farmer