Guatemala

Guatemala is an incredibly diverse country with 47 volcanos that cover the mountainous landscape and two dozen indigenous languages still spoken today. The coffee is no different. There is a profile for everyone in Guatemala. The large range of altitudes and microclimates provide many ideal yet different growing conditions for Arabica coffee.

 

OFI Guatemala began in 2011 starting operations in Huehuetenango. Since then, we have grown to be one of the largest exporters in the country with a pan Guatemala reach and presence. We have 7 Farmer Centers placed at the doorstep of smallholders, and hence are uniquely positioned to support farmers throughout the crop cycle. Our proximity gives us both the chance to know who grows the coffee and provides the chance to offer region and farmer traceable lots. 

 

The communication and engagement with the many smallholders is year round. We have one some of the largest certification supply chains in the country for Rainforest Alliance Coffee. In the last couple years, we have committed to long term Sustainability Projects with a diverse group of partners to provide durable solutions to the some of the challenges the farmers face. Some of those partnerships have supported Coffee Camps (AtS video link to Coffee Camps). Other partnerships are dedicated to a three year long training program to enable smallholders to treat their farm like a business while improving quality and production.

 

Once that coffee comes to market we have some incredible tools we provide to the farmers to increase their market access and reward better quality with better prices. This economic opportunity is unique in a country where many intermediaries don’t pay for quality or provide transparency. When the coffees are very special, they can be sold as one of our two Specialty coffee brands: Jabiru (Video link please) or Blue Ayarza (video link please). This year we will be launching Café Delas Guatemala, a very special coffee from smallholder women farmers. The project is dedicated to improving the quality of their coffee through education and on-farm trainings. 

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Articles Dec 5, 2024
A living landscape partnership promoting sustainable forest management in Côte d’Ivoire

The Cavally region in Côte d’Ivoire, one of the country’s main forested areas and home to protected areas such as the Taï National Park (UNESCO), has lost more than 80% of its forest cover in the last decades which has been mainly attributed to coffee and cocoa production. In January 2023, ofi launched a three-year ‘Sustainable Forest Management’ program with IDH and customer JDE Peets, to conserve forest resources and promote sustainable coffee production in the region, referred to as the “ecological lung of Côte d’Ivoire” by the 4th vice-president of the Cavally Regional Council. At a time when coffee production is reviving in the region in response to higher global prices, the partnership is working to reduce pressure on the Taï National Park and Cavally nature reserve while improving incomes in the surrounding communities.

 

At JDE Peet’s, we are committed to fostering a sustainable future for coffee by embracing origin diversity and strengthening our footprint in Africa. This project in the Cavally region is a significant step towards protecting vital ecosystems like the Taï National Park while promoting sustainable coffee production. By working together with our partners, we aim to create an environment where both nature and communities can thrive for generations to come.” - Judith de Boer, Global Green Coffee Partnership Program Lead, JDE Peet’s

 

The partnership is focused on sustainable agricultural production and social inclusion and in its first year delivered:

  • 25,000 shade trees to mark farm boundaries, reforestation and creation of agroforestry systems.
  • Training to ~3,400 farmers on good agricultural practices integrated farm management, water protection, ecosystem conservation, and forest protection through 18 ‘trained trainers’
  • 52 forest stewards from trained youths to contribute to the protection and preservation of the classified forest through patrols
  • Entrepreneurial opportunities for 750 women through establishing 20 Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) and training on creating biochar from cherry husks for additional income and firewood replacement
  • 950,000 coffee saplings distributed to 2,800 farmers to contribute to the renewal of aging coffee farms.

 

The main objective of the project is to ensure that the revival of coffee production in the Cavally region does not come at the expense of the forest cover and sustainable development, as it happened in the past. We are particularly delighted that this resonates with a partner like ofi ” - Matthew Spencer, IDH Global Director, Landscapes

 

This project is contributing to ofi’s overarching target to establish 20 living landscape partnerships across our global supply chains by 2030, with 6 of these established in coffee supply chains, as set out in our Coffee LENS strategy.

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