Java Jive

It’s been a tough year in the coffee world: in April, international coffee prices topped $3 a pound for the first time in 34 years, and while prices have dropped slightly, the price hike is likely here to stay. Heavy rain falls around the world are to blame for last year’s poor harvests, but in the long term, unpredictable weather and rising temperatures due to climate change are affecting premier coffee regions in places like Colombia, where production on some farms is down 70% from just 5 years ago. Coffee plants are sensitive and changes in temperature, rainfall and spells of dryness not only affect productivity, but also the taste of the high end Arabica beans.

With conventional coffee prices staying above $2 per pound, “fair trade is in an awkward position” as Matt Earley from Just Coffee describes it in a recent article on building a better pre-financing model. For 18 years the official Fair Trade Coffee minimum price remained stagnant at $1.41, not even keeping up with inflation. Last year, the price went up to $1.51 including a social premium. Meanwhile market price for conventional coffee is currently at $2.25 per pound.

For many Nicaraguan organic coffee co-ops, this has created quite a dilemma: “In the past,” explains Matt Earley, “enthusiastic farmers turned coffee into [fair trade buyers] knowing [they] would pay more than local buyers ‘coyotes.’ As a result, farmers would tolerate buyers’ partial (or zero) payment on delivery of the coffee and wait for full payment after buyers received the coffee in the United States or Europe. However, in these years of high prices, local buyers pay a price competitive with ‘fair trade’ importers and roasters, and they pay cash on the barrelhead instead of [fair trade buyers’] two or three payments. This welcome development for cash-strapped farmers benefits them in the short-term but damages their cooperatives as they default on contracts with buyers, lose members and weaken as democratic forces in their communities.”

For small farmers, the decision to choose a higher short-term price over a better long-term relationship is a very real one. El Porvenir supports 43 families (más o menos), more than 250 people total. Although they grow their own food, the cash payment they receive for their coffee crop is the only cash they see all year long. Like farmers all over the country, by the time harvest season rolls around, last year’s cash is long gone and co-op members are desperate for money to buy medicines, clothes, shoes and school supplies for their children. Unlike other farmers, El Porvenir already had a much more equitable relationship with its buyers, making it easier for them to turn down cash in hand from the coyotes.

For years, El Porvenir has sold its crop to Their Bucks Coffee knowing that they would pay more than$2 a pound. Additionally, Their Bucks has contributed 100% of its profits from coffee sales to establish a revolving loan fund that the El Porvenir co-op can access for harvesting costs. Their Bucks pays El Porvenir in three installments: 30% in October, 30% in December, and 40% upon shipping, so that the coffee is completely paid for before it ever leaves Nicaragua. A decision to sell to coyotes last year might have benefitted the co-op in the short-term, but they had an agreement with their buyers – reneging on that agreement last year would have meant throwing away a relationship of trust they’ve spent a decade building, and putting at risk the sale of future crops. The El Porvenir co-op followed through on their deal to sell to Their Bucks at $2.25 a pound…and got ready to negotiate this year’s crop in light of higher international prices.

Last week the coffee buyers came to negotiate: Al Jenkins from Their Bucks Coffee in Mt. Pleasant, SC and Jervais Hollowell of Little River Roasting Company in Spartanburg, SC came to Nicaragua to meet with the folks at El Porvenir and brought with them their daughters, Christy and Leland. In their face-to-face negotiations, El Porvenir agreed to sell at least 20,000 lbs of their coffee to Their Bucks, and Their Bucks agreed to pay $2.70 per pound –the $2.25 international price on the day of the negotiations, plus $0.45 per pound organic premium. These successful negotiations mean that the folks at El Porvenir can count on a better price for their crop – including continuing the important upfront payments – and means that Their Bucks can guarantee its growing customer base a supply of the excellent 43 Families brand coffee it markets, a good deal for farmers, buyers and discerning coffee drinkers!

NEW! Look for El Porvenir’s coffee at the Piggly Wiggly grocery store chain – it’s their in-house brand organic coffee, Newton Farms! -- Becca

Saying "No"

Last night, after learning that we have been in Nicaragua for going on 18 years, a first-time delegation member commented “Wow! You must love your work!”

In truth, if we had all the money we needed then it would be easier to love our work. The work would be more encouraging and the choices we have to make would be much, much easier choices. It’s so hard to say “No.”

Saying “No” is one of the most difficult things that we have to do. We can say “I’ll see what we can do” and we do, but it most often leads to a postponed “No.”

A clinic patient comes in and needs surgical equipment that costs a thousand dollars to get much-needed surgery and I have to say “No,” because the money the one patient needs will pay for medicines for many patients, or even pay the doctors’ salaries. It is painful for me to say “No” and it is devastating for that patient.

I often think of Jesus’ words “do unto others and you would have them do unto you.” I think of those words when I say “No,” and if I am in a good place I silently ask for forgiveness. More times than not, I just feel guilty and then angry. Angry that I cannot provide all that people need. Angry that money is always an issue. And truthfully, angry that the poor ask for what I cannot give…or at least for what I feel like I cannot give.

Over the past five years, the Center has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in the Genesis Cooperative yarn spinning project, and most recently has invested in a temporary work solution for them while they continue to wait on spinning equipment: we set up a cattle feed operation to make feed using agricultural by-products like sesame and cottonseed which will give the Genesis members work half time. In June, we agreed with Genesis that they would begin work on the cattle feed once they finished their bathrooms and break room and got their city water hooked up – they’ve been working on those “finishing touches” to their factory for more than two years. The cattle feed operation is ready to go, and Genesis still hasn’t finished, so we’ve hired the seasonal cotton gin workers to make cattle feed until Genesis finishes their bathrooms. Then, today, they came and asked for bus fare to attend a marketing training. One. More. Thing.

When we ran shelters in Statesville, NC, in the 1980s, we had a friend who ran a home for the homeless in Atlanta. He would speak about the Divine No…when you just have to suck up all the good intentions and say “No,” then you say “No” with humility and with an act of forgiveness.

Again, on my good days, I can do that. On my bad days, I want to rail at the Divine and yell, “Why don’t YOU say ‘Yes’ more so I can say ‘Yes’! Help us find the money! And while I’m at it…give that man who accepted our $150,000 and didn’t deliver equipment some kind of bad rash in the most sensitive of all places!”

Saying “No” is the hardest thing we do…it is the most painful because we know that it is we who do not suffer. -- Kathleen

Genesis co-op goes to Costa Rica!

The Genesis co-op is back from another international training! Last week the entire co-op went to Costa Rica and spent the week in technical training with an industrial engineer who has 25 years of experience producing cotton yarn.

The training focused on the opening and carding process (the first part of yarn production) and went through what happens to the cotton fiber in each machine as well as getting very technical – for example, if your yarn has a defect every 10 cm, h0w do you figure out which cylinder in the machine to check first to find the problem?

During the time in Costa Rica we made a visit to the folks that knit and dye the organic cloth, and also were able to visit a working acrylic yarn factory and a closed-down cotton yarn factory. At the cotton spinning plant we were able to see and touch the machines that we’d heard about, look at all the different functions and cylinders and pinions and see the machines and ducts in their places in the factory. The factory was the same size as the Genesis building, and so it was easy for everyone to see how machinery like that would fit in their building. When the co-op went to El Salvador, the factory was so huge and so modern, that it was a little hard to imagine being able to reach for that kind of goal. On the other hand, the factory in Costa Rica helped the group to ground itself by seeing a factory that feels attainable.

Although they had to get passports and visas to travel to Costa Rica, the Genesis folks took this last trip in stride. They were relaxed during the trip and felt less anxious about leaving their families. In the training, Pablo was the first to answer the mechanical questions every time. Natalia related what she was learning with her experience working in one of Nicaragua’s yarn plants in the 1980s. Jamileth applied what she’s learning in her Sunday mechanics class, and put on her work shirt as soon as we walked in the factory so she could get into the machinery. Geovanny, who is studying accounting, was the first to come up with the solution to the mathematical equations for working out quality control. Janneth walked around the plant pointing to the machinery and explaining its function to other co-op members. Overall Genesis took advantage of the trainings, and they came back energized and ready to get to work.

Now that the Genesis co-op is back home, they are concentrating on finishing their bathrooms and break room and evicting from their building the doves that have taken up residence in the rafters with the hope of being able to get opening and carding machinery within the next few months, pending funding, of course. -- Becca

We DO own our land!

This week we had some GREAT news! We received notification that Yelba Carvajal's attempt to annul our legitimate title and register her false title to our land have been denied! (Remember in February 2008 when she began trying to steal our land?)

This is one of two false titles she used to try to claim ownership of our Center (with our house, offices & volunteer dorm) and the Industrial Park (where the Genesis co-op, the cotton gin and the sewing co-op are all located). Now that her attempt to register our land as her own has failed, we are no longer in danger of getting the ground stolen out from under us!

WOO HOO!

This has been a long fight, but we've counted on important support during the process thanks to more than 1,000 emails you, our supporters, sent to the First Lady Rosario Murillo in a matter of days! Thank you so much for all your support!

We are still waiting notification about her attempt to register her false title on the Industrial Park. Stay tuned to start celebrating when we finally receive that notice! -- Becca

A Clinic Organized...

Organizational skills elude me…almost completely! In the 90’s I read a book on housekeeping entitled Sidetracked Home Executives…and I bought the index cards and the file holder…then wrote all the tasks and how long it took to complete them…and that was it. I was perpetually sidetracked! But…

My friend, Nora…she is an organizational whiz and a retired physician’s assistant. She and Becky, a pediatrician, came and gave three weeks to our bodega (our large clinic storage room)! They sorted and sifted and cleaned and blustered about what we had! They kindly taught me what all we had since I have no medical background.

Volunteers put on masks and moved instruments we would never use to an unused room. And we gave it all away! Some of it was golden for hospitals and some, not so much…but it went to the government clinic and hospital to be shared and used.

Nora and Becky labeled the medicines and supplies so we could restock easily. Becky pointed out the medicines we would never use, so there was no need to keep them. We decided what date was too dated and weeded out those medicines as well. What remained was the World’s 8^th Wonder to my eyes! AND…

A shot in the arm to do some more organizing…

Danelia organized the pharmacy and labeled it all! It looks great and so, so easy to pull those random, not-used-much medicines.

With the help of the delegation from Lopez Island we went through the second building and separated out equipment we could realistically use in the clinic. We saved potty chairs, Depends, walkers and wheelchairs for the infirm to give to our elderly patients. We kept a reasonable amount of crutches and “pieces parts” to fix machinery that we do use in the clinic…THEN…

We gave stuff away again!

The clinic staff…our Nicaraguan staff…are *Just. Like. Us*….in that we are all terrible pack rats. So, Danelia would say, “What about this thing? We might use it in the future?”

“If we need it THEN we will ask for it again, until then someone else can use it.”

It is wonderful. I feel energized instead of heavy about needing to go through stuff. We could – would – never have done it on our own. We needed volunteers with skills none of us had. -- Kathleen