Sourcing Details
Nicaragua's rich coffee culture is deeply rooted in cooperative structures, particularly to support small farm production. A prime illustration is Cooperativa Agropecuaria Reyna el Café de San Juan R.L (COOPAREC R.L), with dedicated coffee producers located in the municipality of San Juan del Rio Coco, Department of Madriz. These producers follow organic farm management practices on farms that are typically cultivated coffee on just a few acres of land intercropped with shade trees, bananas, corn, and beans.
Processing Details.
During the harvest, each producer practices selective picking with focus on picking only fully ripened cherries, which are then processed with the farms micro-mill. At the mill, the cherries are washed and floated to remove damaged and less dense coffee. The selected cherries are then depulped, fermented, washed and gently dried and stored until it is time to prepare the coffee for export.
Cooperative Activities
COOPAREC R.L invests in critical infrastructure, encompassing road improvements and the establishment of local warehouses. COOPAREC R.L. also provides comprehensive technical support to farmers. This encompasses guidance starting with seed selection and extends to valuable assistance in navigating the certification process. Through COOPAREC R.L. producers gain access to credit and income diversification programs like projects to increase production of organic fertilizers or beekeeping initiates.
Exporting preparation
For the export preparation, dried coffee in parchment is transported to the Peralta Coffee’s dry mill facility where coffee is received, cupped and selected for export. Peralta’s preparation ensures traceability and quality control throughout the post harvest process, which is a vital resource for establishing higher prices for producers.
