Nicaragua “Las Hermanas”

1st Women’s Cooperative

As it says on the bags, Las Hermanas Cafe de Calidad + Cafe Moto  = “Having Fair Trade Organic coffee together since 2001. 

During the coffee harvest of 2001, my friend, Dave Griswold, called from Jinotega. “Hey, we are seeing the incoming picking collection from growers and have noticed the women growers tend to have a more consistent selection and careful picking. If we can arrange to keep the women’s coffee out of the bulk lot, would you be interested in trying it?” Sounds like a good idea, sure. And so it began as Las Hermanas, Organic and Fair trade certified of 87 women growers. We have been fortunate to continue the relationship each year since the early arrivals with growth each year.

Speaking with Fatima Ismael, Co-op director, “For the youth” has been her message since we first met. Having your coffee sold creates an uplift of its own. Over the years we have invested some of the proceeds back into their community efforts including, water treatment, cervical cancer screening, school supplies, art supplies, musical instruments, farm equipment, food security programs, Roya agricultural training and prevention, crop yield, infrastructure for a produce market and a small cocoa factory to teach chocolate making and ultimately produce chocolate bars for sale and generate an alternative income stream.

We love this coffee and the women that make it happen. The efforts for Triple certifications are a bonus. We roast to solid full city where the acidity and body balance, the fruit notes combine with the cocoa caramel tones for a repeatedly nice coffee.

Darker side of medium roast color, dark brownish.

Cafe Moto donated over 80 solar coffee pre-dryers to the Las Hermanas and Soppexxca cooperatives to promote quality control throughout the coffee production process.

Working with Las Hermanas and Food 4 Farmers, Cafe Moto bought a display refrigerator for the organic produce market.