FTO Nicaragua- Jinotega Washed

Description

Nicaragua

Coffee is an important part of Nicaragua’s history, economy, and is one of the country’s most important exports. Large scale growing began in the mid 1800s, and it didn’t take long for it to become the country’s principal crop; by 1891, the crop exceeded 11 million pounds. However, because it must be grown in its mountainous regions, transport of the crop remains difficult to this day, and many farmers have resorted to growing other crops. This has hurt production slightly, but Nicaraguan coffee continues to be highly sought after.

Altos de Jinotega

Our Fair Trade Alta de Jinotega Nicaragua is sourced from family owned farms organized around Cooperativa Multifuncional Family Coffee R.L. (COMULFAC), a cooperative founded in 2013.  COMULFAC members live in the communities of Datanli, Los Cipreces, Auturias, Monte Rey, Antioquia, and El Sacramento, all within the department of Jinotega, Nicaragua.  Farmers cultivate coffee on farms that average 4 to 100 acres in size and they use their own micro-mill to process harvested cherries, which allows for meticulous care in depulping, fermenting, and drying the coffee. COMULFAC was established with assistance from J&M Family (a privately owned export company in Jinotega), which has been purchasing coffee from these farmers for several years.  The idea behind establishing a cooperative model was to help the farmers organize their efforts and combine their resources to develop social projects aimed at improving the quality of life in their communities.