The 5 de junio cooperative in Nicaragua was arguably the most conspicuous success story during the three years of the CAFE Livelihoods project. The cooperative took innovative approaches to improve both the quality of its coffee and the quality of life of the communities where its members live, scoring impressive gains on both counts.
Harvest time in Las Sabanas.
- During the 2010/11 harvest, with financing from the Chuck and Ellen Haas Foundation, CRS helped the cooperative conceive and implement a semi-washed or “honey” coffee pilot that exceeded all expectations.
- The cooperative worked tirelessly to increase its sales revenues by differentiating its coffee on the basis of quality. It registered some notable successes in 2010/11 in partnership with Counter Culture Coffee, which sourced both special-process and single-varietal microlots from 5 de junio, including one that scored a 91 in Coffee Review.
- 5 de junio expanded its innovative partnership with the local NGO Fabretto Children’s Foundation under the CAFE Livelihoods project to increase the social return on its coffee. In 2009, Mayorga Coffee Roasters began reinvesting 5 percent of its profits in the Fabretto Family Foundation to support its work to fight hunger in the coffeelands. In 2011, Peregrine Espresso announced it will reinvest a percentage of its sales of 5 de junio coffee in the Fabretto Foundation’s work. These relationships build on the longer-standing fundraising relationship between 5 de junio, Fabretto and Feed My Starving Children. Collectively, these approaches are turning the sales of 5 de junio coffee into an engine for expanding opportunity in the coffeelands.
- And the organization finally succeeded in 2011 in earning Fair Trade Certification – a measure that will help it advance two of the goals mentioned above: differentiation and social reinvestment.
We want to congratulate the leadership and members of the 5 de junio cooperative and the dedicated team from the Fabretto Foundation on these signature successes. We are grateful for the opportunity to work and walk together in solidarity over the past three years.
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This “CAFE Success Story” is part of a series of posts published following the recent close of our CAFE Livelihoods project in Mexico and Central America.