Brought to Equator Coffee Roasters from the San Juan Rio Coco region, which is both a town and a municipality situated in the Madriz region, a department of Nicaragua, is our new single origin coffee: Nicaragua San Juan. It is available for purchase in-stores and online from February 29th until April 4th.
History Of The Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples 25 de Marzo R.L.
The Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples 25 de Marzo R.L., or Coop. 25 De Marzo R.L., was founded in 2008 with a total of 100 members, 83 of which are organic. The coffee varieties they are known to grow include catimor, catuai, and caturra. They have also recently partnered with Cooperative Coffees in 2023. (1)
History Of Other Cooperatives in Nicaragua
While not much is yet known about Coop. 25 De Marzo R.L., there are two other cooperatives adjacent to it that are blooming with rich histories.
History Of CECOCAFEN
Founded in 1997 with its producing communities situated in the Jinotega, Las Sergovias, and Matagalpa mountains, the Central Association of Northern Coffee Cooperatives, or CECOCAFEN, has a total of 1,783 members, 301 of which are organic (2). It serves as the central coordinating union of cooperatives. Initial investments from international lending organizations and their 500 producer members enabled CECOCAFEN to actually kick off their container exports.
Today, they export over 100 container-loads of coffee annually. CECOCAFEN represents farmer families across a dozen community-based cooperatives and works hard to support its members via the production, promotion, and selling of their coffees internationally via Fair Trade and direct export contracts. This cooperative also fosters their communities’ development locally through numerous cultural and social activities, eco-tourism enterprises, youth education scholarships, and a female entrepreneur-focused micro-lending program.
PROCOCER is one of two member cooperatives of CECOCAFEN, as well as La Providencia.
History of PROCOCER
The Cooperativa Multisectorial de Productores de Café Organico Certificado Las Segovias R.L, or PROCOCER, originated from the Nicaraguan Small Farmers and Ranchers Union, or UNAG (3). Founded in 1998 and formally registered in 1999, it offers thorough technical support to individual organic coffee producers in the Ciuded Antigua, Jicaro, Murra, and San Fernando y Jalapa municipalities.
This democratic cooperative has open and voluntary membership. They currently have a total of 313 members, 148 of which are organic.
In 2003, PROCOCER became a founding member of the Association of Cooperative of Small-Scale Producers, or CAFENICA, which garners support for business management projects and works to promote the coffee of various member-organizations. PROCOCER is also involved in CECOCAFEN, which is currently their biggest source of pre-harvest financing, exporting, and quality control for their organic green and Fair Trade coffee.
In 2005, PROCOCER took part in the Nicaraguan United Nations Program and put forth their Rural Tourism project. This won them initial financial support for funding their basic infrastructure costs up-front as well as educational guidance for leveraging the knowledge of their potential for improved tourism initiatives in Las Sergovias. Since then, PROCOCER has continued to grow internally and cross-culturally by partnering with numerous allies locally and internationally.
PROCOCER works hard to diversify its economic and productive ventures, enhances the well-being of their member families, and conserves their region’s environmental beauty and balance. Their mission is to improve the financial and organizational capacity of their cooperative, assure their coffee quality meets the demands set out by the specialty coffee market, and grow their productive yields.
Tasting Notes And Flavors
Like our latest single origin coffee release, the Nicaragua San Juan is a specialty-grade, certified organic, washed process medium roast coffee (our roast level 4). With a cupping score of 83, these Arabica coffee beans were grown at an altitude of 900 to 1200 m in incredibly rich and fertile soils to produce an unparalleled delectable cup of joe.
Enjoy this coffee’s soul-soothing goodness with brown sugar, milk chocolate, and nougat tasting notes.
References:
- Cooperative Coffees. (n.d.). Coop. 25 de Marzo R.L. Retrieved January 17, 2024, from https://fairtradeproof.com/users/view/448
- Cooperative Coffees. (n.d.). CECOCAFEN. Retrieved January 17, 2024, from https://fairtradeproof.com/users/view/200
- Cooperative Coffees. (n.d.). PROCOCER, R.L. Retrieved January 12, 2024, from https://fairtradeproof.com/users/view/199
