For the past six years Hemisphere Coffee Roasters has been purchasing coffee directly from Leslie and Diego Chavarria outside of Matagalpa Nicaragua. The coffee has been of good quality and very consistant year to year. Some years has been 1 container others two and one year we did three. As this fall rolled around it became obvious that we may not be able to purchase a container this year. Every person I talked to about funding a container were not in a position to do so.
Grace and I did what we have always done and cried out to God. Not just for us but for the farmers. I have seen the difference a purchase makes in this community and without those direct-traded funds the farmers were left to the local buyers. Than we began to hear of extremely low prices being paid locally in Nicaragua for green coffee. Totally ridiculous and pathetic. Good high grown coffee was getting .30 per pound to the farmer that needed cash. This is what exploitation looks like and is something every person should be aware of. But sadly very few know and fewer care enough to action!
We made more calls and prayed specifically for two containers. At the last minute God provide two parties that are doing just that. God is still at work and has heard our prayers and the cries of the growers in Gupatole region!
