The project
Coffee cultivation, preparation & the green coffee
The project explains
Our Coffee School Project consists of 2 parts – one of them is to support the small coffee farmers in the Buenos Aires region of El Salvador. We would like to explain this in detail here.
About the region
El Salvador - Buenos Aires
The Buenos Aires region of El Salvador is located right next to the Santa Ana Volcano & Lake Coatepeque. Here are numerous abandoned coffee farms, wild & rampant coffee plants & some small farmers still growing coffee. The growing conditions are ideal: The volcano ‘Santa Ana’ prevents too much salty sea breeze from reaching the coffee plants, and also provides shade in the afternoon & ensures that there is not too much sunshine.
Furthermore, Buenos Aires is located close to the equator & therefore provides ideal climatic conditions for coffee plants. The coffee farms are located at an altitude of at least 1,200 meters. Another advantage of the region is the proximity to the port, which allows the green coffee to be shipped without problems.
About the problems
Abandoned coffee farms, rampant coffee plants & outdated techniques in cultivation & processing.
The problems of coffee cultivation & sales can be divided into 4 points, which we would like to solve specifically & through our Coffee School Project, in order to help the people of the Buenos Aires region in El Salvador.
The
Cultivation
Most of the smaller coffee farmers & smallholders take care of the cultivation & processing of their green coffee completely by themselves. In doing so, they use outdated techniques & have neither the facilities nor access to modern techniques of coffee cultivation & processing. Outdated depulpers, lack of shade management, enrichment of soil nutrients by integrating certain plants & creatures – these are just examples of the region’s potential.
The prices
The few coffee farmers & smallholders who remain in the region & strive to grow coffee have no access to international markets. Thus, they have little choice but to sell the coffee at market prices at the port to ensure their survival and thus create a livelihood at all.
The
Dealers
If smallholders rely on middlemen to sell their green coffee around the world, they usually turn out to be shady & driven only by money. So promises & price agreements are made that are never kept. These traders try to take advantage of the market situation & buy a high quality green coffee well below value – for the most part, these traders don’t care about the people of the region.
Leaf rust
In 2013 & 2014, numerous coffee plants were affected by leaf rust & died. This was a turning point for many small farmers, who until then had earned their living by cultivating coffee plants. They focused on other crops & livestock from then on, or left the region completely. So it happened that now numerous abandoned coffee farms & rampant coffee plants were left behind
Crime
El Salvador has one of the highest crime rates in the world, which is why few tourists visit the country. Likewise, there are few foreign investors who take on the problems & see opportunities – the country’s financial resources are therefore very limited, and people in smaller regions in particular suffer as a result.
Overgrown coffee plants on abandoned coffee plantations!
Outdated cultivation & processing techniques of small farmers in Buenos Aires El Salvador.
For the Buenos Aires region in El Salvador
This is how we want to help!
Our coffee farm in the region of Buenos Aires – El Salvador!
Our coffee farm in El Salvador
Training for coffee farmers on our coffee farm
We want to create a close link between the coffee farmers & the coffee roasters who refine the high quality green coffee. This is intended to create transparency in our value chain, which forms the basis for long-term & sustainable growth. Our coffee farm is the central location of our Coffee School Project.
The central object will be a coffee farm, which we have bought & which is now under construction. This coffee farm is used to train local coffee farmers & offer seminars to coffee roasters from around the world. We want to create a coffee community in the Buenos Aires region from which the people of the region can benefit sustainably & long-term.
Coffee farmer training
We want to show the local smallholders what modern & organic farming means & teach them these techniques for coffee cultivation & processing!
Cultivation of new varieties
The perfect climatic conditions & the rich soil allow to plant more varieties to increase the farmer's portfolio!
A place of encounter
We create a place where coffee farmers & coffee roasters can meet & exchange - for transparency & sustainability!
The Organic Farming – without additional substances & chemicals. By naturally planting microorganisms, plants & living things, a nutrient-rich soil is created.
The cultivation of new varieties is intended to increase the region’s portfolio – in addition, the coffee plants are to become more robust against climatic conditions & severe weather.
Proceeds from the sale of green coffees & our seminars for coffee roasters go to the Coffee School Project & are intended to help the people of the Buenos Aires region of El Salvador continue to build their community. The training of coffee farmers is intended to improve quality even further, but also to increase efficiency. Great potentials in coffee cultivation are currently not exploited – we want to help coffee farmers to achieve this in order to make coffee cultivation profitable for the farmers!