For the first time in the cooperative's 19 year history, Dukundekawa paid a flat fee 7000 Rwf (~ $7.00) to each of their 1400 members as a dividend. This per member payment is in addition to the traditional per kilogram second payments the cooperative also paid to members at a special "Umuganura Day" celebration on August 5.
The per kilogram payments to farmers (for 2021 harvest) were:
Organic cherry: men 40 rwf/kg (~ 40 US cents); women 65 rwf/kg, thanks to Artisan's premium.
Did you know?
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"Umuganura" is a Kinyarwanda word that translates directly as a "sheaf" as in "a sheaf of barley." The holiday is like Thanksgiving Day in the US.
- Rewards like these to farmers are why Artisan buys from cooperatives (not private washing stations) in Rwanda. Cooperatives are farmer-member owned, and second payments are one of the main member benefits.