Goal achieved!
This first container of Honduran coffee making its way to Scotland is the result of work by Solidaridad, in alliance with Cooperativa Cafetalera Capucas, Fairfood and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. The traceability component, first launched in June 2021, will allow consumers to know who produced the coffee and what the producer earned from it. Follow along to learn how we’re making it possible.
RECLAIM Sustainability! is a 5-year programme (2021-2025) that aims to foster genuine and inclusive sustainability in global value chains. The programme works to ensure that the rights of producers, workers and citizens are respected and heard in decision-making. Traceability doesn’t just provide consumers with nice stories, it helps producers understand the value of their work and produce. In this way, the coffee sector can be reformed into a more sustainable one.
Who are the heroes? The coffee producers who are out in the fields everyday.
Change begins with a shift in attitude and by “knowing that the coffee buyers are searching for the best quality coffee,” says Panchito (José Francisco Villada), a coffee producer and co-founder of Capucas, who believes the programme is an opportunity to improve coffee production on his farm.
According to Omar Rodríguez, CAPUCAS´s General Manager, digital tools allow us “trace the coffee from the farm […] to the final consumer, to the coffee shops, and to be able to tell the story of who produced it.” This traceability model lets buyers know that their coffee is of high-quality and authentic product. It also lets them know that producers have received a fair price for the beans produced.
Solidaridad believes that digital solutions and tools play a critical role in creating a sustainable agricultural sector. They allow us to understand the current context for producers, identify their real needs, and plan activities and allocate resources more efficiently, always putting the producer first.
It’s all about family
“In the coffee world we are constantly learning and growing professionally,” says Mary Portillo, a fourth-generation coffee producer who considers technology to be a major component of her community’s coffee future.
The first container of 100% traceable Honduran coffee by the RECLAIM Sustainability programme is a success story that brings us a little closer to the goal of transparency and traceability.