Gates Foundation teams with Coca-Cola to increase Warren Buffett's market share in Africa (1/10)

[Hannah Bell]

The Coca-Cola Co., nonprofit TechnoServe and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Wednesday launched an $11.5 million partnership aimed at helping 50,000 small fruit farmers in Uganda and Kenya boost their productivity and double their incomes by 2014 amid growing global demand for fruit juice.

The partnership, which will enable mango and passion fruit farmers to participate in Coke's supply chain for the first time, is funded with a $7.5 million grant provided by the Gates Foundation to TechnoServe, $3 million from the Coca-Cola Co., and $1 million by bottling partner Coca-Cola Sabco.

The project seeks to help local farmers whose fruit will be used for Coca-Cola's locally produced and sold fruit juices. TechnoServe will train farmers in improving quality, increasing production and getting organized into farmer groups, and it will facilitate gaining access to credit.

U.S.-based TechnoServe's corporate partners include Cargill, Kraft, Nestle-Nespresso, Olam International, Peet's Coffee & Tea and Unilever. Since its founding in 1968, TechnoServe has helped to create or expand thousands of businesses in more than 30 countries.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/20/coca-cola-africa-markets-equities-juice-farmers_print.html


Berkshire Hathaway owns almost 9% of Coca-Cola.

Nice way to use tax-free money for private benefit.

[midnight]

1. Interesting. Anyone know how the rest of us Americans can

get some tax free money for our businesses?

[Wilms]

2. Lemme guess. Grow soda instead of staples? n/t

[Hannah Bell]

3. get them into "credit" & then foreclose on their land. same way the financiers did with US farmers.

[Hannah Bell]

4. k

[Brickbat]

5. "Growing global demand for juice"?

Because of huge advertising pushes convincing us we must have juice?

[Wilms]

7. ...or bottled water.

x(

[Karmadillo]

6. K&R

nt