Most of the coffee farmers (approx. 100,000) in Honduras farm only small areas of land and have to travel a long way to process and sell their coffee. Many of them make their living almost exclusively from growing coffee. An unproductive year or crop failures caused by climate change can have devastating consequences for the families.
We have been working with smallholders from the Santa Barbara region in Honduras since 2016. Our commitment started in the small village of La Laguna and its Beneficio, the wet processing mill for the coffee cherries The goal of our commitment is to improve the local infrastructure and healthcare while increasing income. Various projects have already been implemented to achieve this:
We guarantee farmers that all their coffee is purchased and ensure a long-term partnership and support. Ultimately, the cooperation is intended to enable the farming families to enjoy better prospects for the future and to cultivate coffee that is financially attractive while benefiting from high-quality processing.
The farmers learn how to improve the quality and yield of their coffee beans, lower their production costs and protect the environment through professional farm management and environment-friendly farming and harvesting methods, thereby obtaining a better and more stable income. Thanks to our investment in the Beneficio infrastructure, the farmers can have their coffee cherries prepared directly on site. This means that they are no longer dependent on the often corrupt coffee dealers in the faraway city. This saves them money and time, spares them arduous journeys and ensures the added value stays in the region. The Beneficio's professional and water-sparing processing facility makes sure that the coffee beans have the required quality.