“We are proud to recognize the producers here for their enormous efforts and dedication and for being part of this differentiated group,” Emilio Medina, president of Beneficio de Café Montecristo and CEO of coffee exporter Becamo, said in a June letter to the producers of our Honduras Coffee Kids UNIOCAFE green coffee.
“We take this opportunity to recognize the need, today more than ever, to promote good practices in the cultivation and management of coffee, in order to meet the requirements of the international market through continuous quality improvement, environmental protection and the advancement of Honduran coffee families,” he continued.
The letter went on to share that Becamo was facilitating the payment to producers of 156,637.92 Lempira ($6,397.09 US), thanks to UTZ certification, as well 187,483.19 Lempira ($7,656.81) from the premium paid by InterAmerican for the producers’ work in the Coffee Kids program.
On June 11, the Becamo team invited the Coffee Kids producers to a celebration—and presentation of the additional payments due to them, following the sale of their coffee to InterAmerican.
In this way, said Medina, we can all thank and acknowledge this new generation of producers who are “continuing this legacy that with sacrifice and work they have been able to take up.”
Coffee Kids works with members of the UNIOCAFE Youth Committee in Honduras.
The Coffee Kids program, which in Honduras works with the Youth Committee of the Unión de Organizaciones Ocotepecanas de Café (UNIOCAFE), arranges for a payment of $0.10 per pound back to the producers. In time for International Coffee Day, InterAmerican is also working on an additional $0.20 per pound contribution to the program, which helps to equip young producers to create legacies of their own design. Going into next year, through support from InterAmerican and others, Coffee Kids hopes to reach 100 more young people in Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
“The future of coffee production is in their hands,” said Ramon Medina, commercial manager of Becamo. “The premium is an incentive that we hope motivates the young coffee farmers to continue in coffee production, and they are well aware that quality is at the core of all discussions.”
The quality of this year’s crop is these producers’ best yet, and we’re grateful to the Becamo team for their efficiency in purchasing, packing and shipping it to us. We hope you’ll get to know this coffee, help encourage our Oct. 1 donation higher and contribute to the future of young coffee producers in Honduras. •
At the event, Coffee Kids producers showed off t-shirts with the logos of supporting Neumann Gruppe companies.
