Diego Chavarria discussing the coffee crisis
Hemisphere Coffee Roasters
Coffee with a Mission
Direct - Trade Coffee, Coffee with a mission!
Special Coffee
The Diego and Gloria Chavarria Family
Meet Diego Chavarria, coffee farmer from Matagalpa, Nicaragua. This is a dear friend of mine and the grower of Cafe Diego.It is a special story. A story of a love for the land, the Lord, his laborers, and his family.
Rosedale Mennonite Mission workers met Diego in the 1970's when his parents opened their home for our agency workers to stay in their home. This began a friendship that has lasted through the years. Diego and I met six years ago. He shared with me how the crisis in coffee was affecting his family and the many families on his farms. He often had wet eyes as he talked of his laborers loyalty, faithfulness and hard work when often there was no money to pay them.
Diego has 300 hectors of land, much of it planted in coffee, and close to 100 laborers living on his property. It is his responsibility to provide work, food, and a sustainable livelihood for these families. With coffee prices way below what it costs to produce, it was a loosing game.
We began to dream of purchasing a full container coming directly from this farm, with Hemisphere Coffee paying a price that was over his costs and allow him to make a profit. In return, Diego would sort out his best coffee, walk it through a stringent grading program and have the coffee independently evaluated.
The first container (40,000 pounds) arrived in the spring of 2006 and was well received. Since then we have imported 3 full containers and are bringing in 5 containers this year (2010) just to fill the orders. If you are a roaster, a church, a cafe or restaurant owner or an individual, your partnership can enable us to continue to operate in Nicaragua and expand to other locations as well.
Rosedale Mennonite Mission workers met Diego in the 1970's when his parents opened their home for our agency workers to stay in their home. This began a friendship that has lasted through the years. Diego and I met six years ago. He shared with me how the crisis in coffee was affecting his family and the many families on his farms. He often had wet eyes as he talked of his laborers loyalty, faithfulness and hard work when often there was no money to pay them.
Diego has 300 hectors of land, much of it planted in coffee, and close to 100 laborers living on his property. It is his responsibility to provide work, food, and a sustainable livelihood for these families. With coffee prices way below what it costs to produce, it was a loosing game.
We began to dream of purchasing a full container coming directly from this farm, with Hemisphere Coffee paying a price that was over his costs and allow him to make a profit. In return, Diego would sort out his best coffee, walk it through a stringent grading program and have the coffee independently evaluated.
The first container (40,000 pounds) arrived in the spring of 2006 and was well received. Since then we have imported 3 full containers and are bringing in 5 containers this year (2010) just to fill the orders. If you are a roaster, a church, a cafe or restaurant owner or an individual, your partnership can enable us to continue to operate in Nicaragua and expand to other locations as well.
We are working with Pura Vida Missions in Costa Rica
to import several containers of incredible Costa Rica coffee, Pura Vida is involved in the harvesting and they assist workers on the farms. Look for this excellent "central valley" coffee after the beginning of the year.
If you are a roaster and are interested in full bags of green Nicaragua Cafe Diego or Costa Rica Pura Vida Mission Coffee please call Paul at 937-834-3230.
If you are a roaster and are interested in full bags of green Nicaragua Cafe Diego or Costa Rica Pura Vida Mission Coffee please call Paul at 937-834-3230.
