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Our relationship often begins before we buy coffee. Just passing by a producer's farm or having been referred by others in the community.
We walk their farm with them taking note of how they run things.
- What varieties of coffee
- The health of the farm
- What methods of fertilizing or pest control they use
- Which things have worked for them and haven’t
We eat or share a coffee with them and their families and find out what problems they struggle with and how we can build a mutually beneficial relationship!
Photo: On the right is our founder Klaus on his farm with Don Rigo.
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We offer to buy coffee cherry at a much higher price (upwards of 60% above market), but we will only pay this price if we get the best harvest (only the ripest Cherries). It is the single easiest and most significant way to improve coffee quality along with a proper process.
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Often workers who harvest the coffee by hand are reluctant to only pick the ripest cherries as they are paid by weight and not by the quality of the cherries. Hence your bitter coffee that gives you stomach issues...
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So we offer an extra ca$h bonus direct to the workers, guaranteeing the money gets into their hands, for each bucket harvested correctly.
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We pay higher if the farm is organic or regenerative.
Not all farms we work with are organic, but that is by design!
Many farmers lack the resources or knowledge to grow organically and their farm is dependent on “Big Ag” chemical fertilizers/pesticides. It takes time to switch farms over to a regenerative model. We can’t expect high quality organic coffee from our community in the future if our farmers don’t receive the resources to switch their farms over now!
Photo: Don Rigo with "Sangre de Toro" the ripest deep red and purple cherries.
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Over the course of a few years, if they decide it's best for their farm, we bring the means to shift them to a more sustainable way of farming depending on their current farm needs. Meanwhile we buy coffee from them where they are currently.
As we shift producers to more sustainable techniques we bring:
- Shade and fruit trees
- Organic fertilizers/plants/materials for soil health
- Education on sustainable maintenance methods
- New varieties of coffee
- Organic pest control
By offering higher prices for organic and regenerative coffee and providing them the tools to do so; the farmers can see a path that results in a long term relationship, greater profits, and overall more security. Things not easy to find in the coffee industry, especially in the places we work!
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Photo: Our community carpenter, Lupe, looking over his new coffee plants as Klaus speaks to him about proper terracing to prevent runoff.