Procafe
Procafé: Coffee Producer based in Nicaragua
Founded in 2011, Cooperativa Multifuncional de Productores Exportadores de Café de San Juan del Rio Coco (Procafé) is a co-operative union created to improve the income and standard of living for coffee-producing families in the region of San Juan del Río Coco in northern Nicaragua.
Characterised by high valleys, dramatic mountains and cool temperatures, the area provides ideal microclimates for coffee farming. Subsequently, the region is said to produce some of the highest quality coffee in Nicaragua.
Farmers, however, are facing many challenges including the devastating impacts of climate change, as well as the threat of ‘la roya’ – or coffee rust – a funga disease that is killing their coffee trees and currently affecting around 70% of farms.
Image: Procafé member Tania Calderón taking part in training on coffee cupping.
A Future with Coffee
Comprising 204 members, 35% of whom are women, Procafé is committed to supporting their farmers to become self-sustainable entrepreneurs, providing access to market opportunities to sell their coffee. They also provide farmers with training in climate mitigation and how to combat coffee rust.
In 2011, Procafé gained Fairtrade certification for their coffee. Rosa López Ochoa, Head of Logistics and Marketing at Procafé, said:
"The benefit of Fairtrade certification for farmers is the assurance of stable prices plus a premium for the sale of their coffee, providing additional funds for investment at both the farmer and worker levels, such as improving plots, enhancing worker conditions, health, and education.”
Procafé also:
- Supports producers with the maintenance and improvement of their coffee processing facilities, and provides technical support to strengthen their response to the impacts of climate change.
- Helps producers develop coffee nurseries with resilient varieties, as well as protecting water sources in their farms.
- Manages a health care project providing medical services to their producers free of charge.
- Supports a group of farmers with a banana planting project which is aimed at providing an additional income stream as well as shade for the coffee plants.
- Supports the local church and nearby community schools by providing construction materials.
The Impact of your Ethical Investment
Shared Interest has been working with Procafé since 2018, providing loans to prefinance coffee contracts, enabling the co-operative to pay the farmers on time for their coffee.
Speaking about the impact of the Shared Interest loan, Rosa said:
“We address the financing needs for harvest collection for each of our partners (farmers). The terms credit turnover policies provided by Shared Interest allow the organization to sell the product at a better price, thus providing benefits such as paying the highest market price locally, providing medical services to our partners and food packages.”
Image: Rosa López Ochoa, Head of Logistics and Marketing for Procafé.
Cultivating Change
Procafé are also delivering projects focused around certification and reforestation. Rosa continued: “In 2023, Procafé began a biodynamic certification project. It's a new certification we're venturing into for sales in Europe. Currently, we have a group of 22 producers. We're doing this with DEMETER, which is a process similar to Organic, but influenced by other cosmic factors such as the moon, stars, planets, etc. Also, we're getting recognition for Earth, plants, and animals (we're learning a bit more about it).
“We are running a new project where areas of land are being made for each producer. They will also be given plants for reforestation if they need them on their farms. Every year, the carbon footprint will be measured.
“We also have a new local dry processing facility where coffee will be processed. So far, we've been selling locally roasted and ground coffee. Previously, we used to buy the service, but now we'll do it in our new roastery.”
Brigida Anabell Montalvan Acuaña is a member of Procafé, based in the Samarkanda community. Her farm covers an area of seven hectares. She said:
“Working with Procafé is very beneficial as they provide education through training in all areas such as productivity and organizational skills, facilitating spaces and consultations for both male and female partners. They express satisfaction with the challenges and have achieved different certification seals to ensure the proper use of funds and the execution of various activities to improve farm productivity and quality.”
What is La Roya or Coffee Rust?
Coffee rust – scientific name hemileia vastatrix, or 'la roya' in Spanish – is a fungus that develops on the leaves of the coffee bush. If not identified and treated, the fungus spreads, blocks photosynthesis and reduces the plant to a skeleton within a couple of weeks. Today, coffee rust is considered the most destructive disease affecting Arabica coffee in the world. For coffee farmers, it is economically disastrous. Light infections can result in the loss of leaves. Severe infestations may cause twigs to die back from the tips. Eventually entire trees can die.
The long-term effects of the disease often result in a major decrease in yield. Instances of la roya are believed to have increased as a result of the impacts of climate change, including changes in rainfall and temperatures.
What is Fairtrade Premium?
In addition to the Fairtrade price, the Fairtrade Premium is an extra sum of money which goes into a communal fund for farmers and workers to use – as they see fit – to improve their social, economic and environmental conditions.
What is Prefinance?
In addition to the Fairtrade price, the Fairtrade Premium is an extra sum of money which goes into a communal fund for farmers and workers to use – as they see fit – to improve their social, economic and environmental conditions.
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