“Empowering Farmers Through Fair Coffee Trade: Collective Marketing, Transparent Payouts, Stronger Communities”
The PESHA Project in coordination with Maya Prem Smriti Pratisthan conducted its formal coffee payout distribution program from June 15 to 17 through its 15 pulping centers in operation across Gandaki and Shahid Lakhan Rural Municipalities. In 2021, just 44 farmers across Gandaki and Shahid Lakhan Rural Municipalities in Gorkha were selling dry coffee locally with limited market reach and minimal bargaining power. Today, that number has surged to 227 farmers and their harvests, incomes, and futures have grown right alongside them.
By pairing meticulous quality control with a highly transparent, competitive market approach, the project has established reliable pathways to both high-value domestic markets and premium international testing facilities. Globally, a formal partnership with Global Eco Venture Pvt. Ltd. facilitated the export of 300 kg of parchment samples from six primary pulping centers to Japan’s HIRABAYASHI Kinzoku Co. Ltd. for professional cupping and laboratory evaluation. Simultaneously, on the domestic front, MPMT maximized value for the remaining parchment and dry cherry inventory through a transparent, open bidding process launched on May 15, 2026. Following a competitive evaluation of Letters of Intent (LOIs), Summit Coffee Udhyog Pvt. Ltd. was unanimously selected as the commercial partner, securing premium pricing across all coffee grades and solidifying the region's market presence.
Objectives:
- Create transparent, competitive buyer selection processes that maximize farmgate returns.
- Embed quality standards at every stage of local coffee processing and marketing.
- Link Gorkha coffee to premium domestic and international markets (including specialty export to Japan)
- Strengthen local governance capacity through evidence-based production and income data sharing.
- Ensure equitable, traceable income distribution directly to farmers based on individual contributions.
Achievements
Impacts created beyond the payouts:
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📊 Evidence-Based Governance Concrete production and income data shared with local government bodies to design targeted coffee support schemes and incentives. |
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⭐ Elevated Quality Standards Strict quality controls deeply embedded in local marketing farmers now understand that premium quality consistently commands premium prices. |
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🔗 Market Linkages Reliable pipeline connecting Gorkha smallholders to high-value domestic buyers and international specialty markets. |
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🌱 Empowered Communities 227 households now sell on their own organized, collective terms no longer at the mercy of informal, fragmented markets. |
Way forward:
Leverage International Feedback: Utilize quality data and cupping feedback from HIRABAYASHI Kinzoku Co. Ltd. (Japan) to drive targeted quality improvements and strategically position Gorkha coffee in the global specialty market.
Scale the Collective Marketing Model: Expand the collective marketing framework to additional primary pulping centers and farming households in upcoming harvest seasons.
Institutionalize Commercial Partnerships: Deepen the MoU-based alliance with Summit Coffee Udhyog Pvt. Ltd. to guarantee stable, long-term market access and commercial viability.
Standardize Transparent Payouts: Embed transparent payout mechanisms as a permanent operating standard to continually reinforce farmer trust in the collective system.
