NEWS RELEASE
CANADIAN FEDERATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN
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CFUW Orillia members will be hearing from their guest speaker David Wilding-Davies about his fascinating story of farming from Zimbabwe to Canada. The monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 23 at Orillia Museum of Art and History, 30 Peter St. S., Orillia, at 7 p.m.
Wilding-Davies was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He grew up on his parents' hobby farm where he developed a love of horses and farming. He represented Canada in an equestrian Three Day Event in the 1988 Olympics and the 1990 World Equestrian Games. He currently lives in Thornbury, where he runs his company, Ashanti Coffee Enterprises.
In 1991, Wilding-Davies took a break from training on the Canadian Olympic Equestrian Team to travel to Africa. There he found himself in the heart of the majestic Eastern Highlands region of Zimbabwe, where some of the world’s best Arabica coffee beans are grown.
Many years later, with his young family in tow, he went back to Zimbabwe and bought a coffee farm where Ashanti Coffee Enterprises was born.
On their farm, Ashanti Coffee Estate, they learned not just how to grow coffee but acquired insights into the people and turbulent history of Zimbabwe.
As a new arrival to a small farming community, Wilding-Davies had to navigate through the complexities of race, politics, and religious beliefs that both bound the people of Zimbabwe together and pulled them apart.
Life was good. They made friends and gradually nourished the neglected farm back to a productive state. In 2003, Wilding-Davies won the Zimbabwe Coffee Grower of the Year Award for his efforts. That award not only represented the great coffee he was growing but also his commitment to providing good labour practices and good environmental practice.
But trouble soon brewed. As a result of President Mugabe’s violent campaign of farm invasion, his land was expropriated, and they reluctantly moved back to Canada.
Fortunately, Wilding-Davies had partnered with other Zimbabwe coffee farmers who managed to keep their land, ensuring their exclusivity on Zimbabwe coffee in Canada and a steady supply of Ashanti Coffee.
Ashanti Coffee is unique in North America. It is “single-source, from farm to cup” – grown on partner farms, then roasted and distributed in Ontario and across the country.
Women who would like to hear David Wilding-Davies’ presentation or who are interested in learning more about CFUW are invited to attend.
This diverse club was established in 1955 as a non-profit organization that is active in public affairs, working to raise the social, economic and legal status of women as well as to improve education, the environment, and human rights.
CFUW raises funds through its annual Homes Tour to provide post-secondary scholarships to female graduates of Orillia high schools, including the Learning Centre. Through its many interest groups, members develop new skills and friendships.
Membership is offered to all women who believe in our goals and value lifelong learning. For more information visit the website.
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