Picked, dried, roasted coffee beans

Set back from the bush to the cup, the coffee bean has a long way - as
the example of smallholders in the Central American country of
Nicaragua shows.
Coffee from Nicaragua was in the early days of the fair trade symbol
of international solidarity in general. Coffee is still a very
important export product for the Central American country - but is the
"brown gold" for about four percent of total economic output of the
country.
1.5 million bags with 60 kilos of coffee beans produced in the
previous year, the bulk of it is shipped via the port of Puerto Cortes
in Honduras neighboring country - the USA and Europe. Nicaragua itself
has no suitable harbor. The three most important countries for
acceptance Nica coffee are the United States, Germany and Venezuela.
Until that happens, however, the coffee bean a laborious and long way:
pick the fertile highlands of the Matagalpa region, about 150
kilometers from the capital Managua, countless small farmers, the

cherry-red fruit of the coffee bushes - and handpicked, so with the
so-called "pick" method. This is the daily yield 50-100 kilograms of
coffee cherries, which deliver just ten to 20 kilograms of coffee
beans. For a 60-pound bag that is three to six harvests are necessary
- and the fruit will require approximately 100 shrubs.
Cooperative with 2627 members
Are organized into cooperatives, small farmers, such as "Cecocafen" in
Matagalpa. The cooperative was founded in 1997 has twelve
sub-cooperatives with a total of 2627 members (700 women) and 8500
hectares. For more than ten years Cecocafen even has its own drying
system - and can therefore control the entire process of taking over
the coffee from small farmers to export to.
A major customer is the Fair Trade Organization (Cecocafen coffee in
Austria under the brand "Nica" available), because 40 percent of the
total production of the cooperative are Fairtrade certified. This
means that these farmers receive a guaranteed minimum price, so a kind
of safety net to bottom) of 140 U.S. dollars per quintal (45.4
kilograms) and a Fair Trade premium in the amount of 20 dollars per
quintal. It is crucial that the premiums in high-price periods (as
currently) at the higher world market price can be beat.
How to Use This premium does the cooperative jointly anew each year
from a part of it must be mandatory, but investing in quality
improvement and productivity enhancement. At the same time certified
farmers have some labor laws (no child labor to ten years, the right
to freedom of association, discrimination, etc.) and comply with
environmental standards.
"With the help of Fair trade, I just can not get my farm better," said
Jose Valdivia in the small farming village of Aqua Maria in the
Matagalpa region. "It is important for my children, especially the
ability to obtain, with the help of a scholarship to attend school.
This means that school transport and covered the cost of textbooks.
Members of Fair Trade certified farms are entitled to this
scholarship. "
The biggest challenge for the cooperative is currently the high world
price for coffee: "This means that we need higher spending on the
purchase of coffee beans from small farmers," says managing director
Maurizio Cecocafen Ruiz. "This presents us with some financial
problems before. Fair Trade supports us but this. "
Fair Trade also granted an organic premium of 30 U.S. dollars per
quintal. But the farmers are reluctant to change, "organic farming for
small farmers is often difficult to finance, can finally reduced at
the start of the conversion yield of 30 to 40 percent," says Ruiz.
Dried in the sun
After the cooperative Cecocafen farmers have bought their goods, have
the beans quickly processed and, above all, be dried - as in the
processing plant "Beneficio Solcafé": "Before drying in the sun, the
beans have a moisture level of 40 to 50 percent," Ivan says Zelaya,
the manager of Solcafé.
After drying, which would last five days on the stone floor on the
ground and up to seven days, as the beans to a moisture level of 12 to
13 percent. Within eight hours, the beans are turned over during the
drying phase four to six times - usually by seasonal workers, who earn
an eight-hour day, about six U.S. dollars.
After drying the coffee beans come to a camp for a month in order to
achieve a homogeneous delivery of moisture. Roasted and packed coffee
is coming from the Cooperative Cecocafen to Austria, in Groningen in
the Netherlands - from there it is transported to Austria.