Seeing Possibility: My Experience at AFCA’s 21st Conference & Expo
“She simply wanted us to live through our third eyes, to see life as possibility.”
– Robin D.G. Kelley, Freedom Dreams
Phyllis Johnson, CCRE (l), Gilbert Gatali - AFCA Executive Director (middle), Dr. Tiffany Johnson, CCRE (r)
I had the privilege of attending the African Fine Coffee Association (AFCA) 21st Conference and Exhibition in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in February 2025. The overall vibe of the conference was just as warm as the weather, and I appreciated the opportunity to exchange thoughts and ideas with people from around the world who are investing in African coffees. I (alongside CCRE founder and leader Phyllis Johnson) attended sessions about sustainability, where panelists and speakers talked about re-defining the role of Africa in coffee, keeping more value in Africa, exploring intra-African trade, and storytelling that illustrates a strong African coffee identity.
While I am continuing to process and integrate all of the wisdom of the sessions, below are four learnings from the conference:
1. One of the major issues I learned about is the barriers to intra-African trade. Financing and logistics of moving coffee from East to West Africa were named as two of the barriers.
2. Frequently discussed were people’s misperceptions about the value of African coffee. To this point, panelists emphasized colonial legacies whereby standards of taste are given to Africa by Western parts of the world, even though the continent is the home of coffee.
3. Many spoke about the importance of remembering the origin of coffee. One of the panelists noted that Africa produces some of the world’s finest coffees, only to be exported and only to be returned to the continent as processed. Another panelist noted that “before it became a commodity, it {coffee} was a lifestyle”.
4. In almost every session we attended, speakers and panelists talked about one sustainability issue: guaranteeing a more valued and promising future of coffee in Africa by investing in the youth of Africa.
In addition to these insights, it was an honor to watch pure talent and dedication in the Africa Barista competition, witness truly innovative and vibrant style portrayed by the details of conference aesthetics, and connect with coffee professionals from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, the Congo, and Tanzania (to name a few). Overall, it was a memorable trip both professionally and personally (my first time visiting the continent). It inspired us to do what Dr. Kelley mentions in the opening quote – to live through our third eye - and to see possibilities for CCRE to not only support the goals of AFCA but also for us to continue learning from AFCA members. Onward