Diaconia Nacional ‘Certified Ethical’Fair Payment • Fair Wages and Practices

Shade Grown • Environmentally Responsible

Email: info@carpenteros.caWebsite: www.rioolancho.comFacebook: RioOlanchoDirectTradeCoffee

Nueva Arcadia

Tela

San Luis

Santa Elena

Balfate

Pueblo Viejo

Arenal

La Vega

Dulce Nombrede Culmi

Valencia

Catacamas

Cedros

PatucaTusi

Ahuás

Dulsuna

Bara de Caratasca

Cabo Graciasa Dios

Miguel Bikan

AuasbilaBilwaskarma

Roatán

Tocoa

OmoaLivingston

Punta Gorda

Monkey RiverPoptún

Izabel

Gualán

Morales

Gracias

CopánGualán

Río Hondo

La Virtud

Concepción

Marcala

Danlí

El Paraíso

Las Trojes

San Marcosde Colón

Lepaterique

Pespire

SabanaGrande

Santa Rosade Lima

Amapala

La Union

GuaritaMetapán

Quezaltepeque

Sensuntepeque

La Libertad

Chalatenango

San PedroZacapa

El Negrito

Mezapa

Bocay

El Chichicaste

Ocotal

Oropolí

Limay

Corinto

Puerto Sandino

Río Grande

Villa Nueva

Río Blanco

Boaco

San Pedro del Norte

Nuevo Amanecer

Prinzapolka

Puerto Cabezas

El Triunfo

San Lorenzo

Olanchito

Puerto Barrios

Puerto Cortés

El Progreso

San Miguel

San VicenteNueva San Salvador Zacatecoluca

Usulután

Santa Ana

Chinandega

León

Estelí

Matagalpa

Comayagua

Yoro

SantaBárbara

La EsperanzaLa Paz

Manto

Yuscarán

Roatán

Trujillo

Nueva Ocotepeque

Nacaome

Santa Rosade Copán

PuertoLempira

La Ceiba

San Pedro Sula

Choluteca

Tecucigalpa

San Salvador

Managua

Isla deUtila

Isla deGuanaja

Isla deUtila

Isla delTigre

I s l a s d e l a B a h í a

Laguna de Brus

Bahía de TelaBahía de Omoa

C A R I B B E A N S E A

Laguna Quemada

Gulf of Honduras

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Laguna BismunaTara

Laguna Páhara

Laguna de Wounta

Laguna de Caratasca

Sarstún

Motagua

Ulúa

Chamelecón

Lago de Izabel Sico

Kukalaya

Prinzapolka

Laguna deW

ounta

Tuma

Coco

Coco

Jalán

Choluteca

Guyape

Gua

yam

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caBoc

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Lempa

L. deIlopango

Embalse CerrónGrande

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muya

S ulaco

Lago de Managua

Lago de Apanás

Golfo de Fonseca

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Lago deCoatepeque

Río Grande de Otoro

de Amatique

Bahía

Río G

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e Matagalpa P A C I F I C O C E A N

Glover Reef

BarrierReef

Aguán

Mangulile

Patuc

a

Bahía de Jiquilisco

Higuito

COPÁN

CORTÉS

SANTA BÁRBARA

OCOTEPEQUE

LEMPIRAINTIBUCÁ

LA PAZ

ATLÁNTIDA

Y O R O

COLÓN

OLANCHO

ISLAS DE LA BAHÍA

GRACIAS A DIOS

EL PARAÍSO

VALLE CHOLUTECA

COMAYAGUA

FRANCISCO MORAZÁN

BELIZE

EL SALVADOR

GUATEMALA

NICARAGUA

The boundaries and names shown on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptanceby the United Nations.

National capitalProvincial capitalCity, townMajor airportInternational boundaryDepartmental boundaryPan American HighwayMain roadSecondary roadRailroad

HONDURAS

Map No. 3856 Rev. 3 UNITED NATIONSMay 2004

Department of Peacekeeping OperationsCartographic Section

0 25 50

0 5025 75 100 km

75 mi

HONDURAS

RIO OLANCHO COFFEE GROWING

REGION

RIO OLANCHODIRECT TRADE COFFEE

100% Community TransformationZERO % Middlemen

Rio Olancho Direct Trade Coffee is processed and prepared for export at the modern COCAOL facility in Santa Maria del Real

Highly trained workers at COCAOL conduct a triple hand-sorting to remove any defective beans and ensure premium quality

WHAT IS ‘CERTIFIED ETHICAL’?Diaconia Nacional, a Honduran partner organization

which provides agricultural training in coffee producing communities in Olancho, awards the designation of ‘Certified Ethical’ when coffee growers “commit themselves to the highest standards of ethical conduct, respectful and fair treatment of their employees and labourers, commitment to quality, and to protecting and preserving the environment.”

There is no cost to the farmers to participate in the ‘Certified Ethical’ program.

WHAT IS DIRECT TRADE COFFEE?There are no brokers or middlemen in the Rio

Olancho Direct Trade Coffee Project. Providing that the coffee beans meet the highest standard for quality, full payment is made directly to the coffee producer. There are no fees, commissions or administrative charges. In addition, the ‘Project’ provides additional funds for training events and for equipment to further improve the quality of the coffee.

Edwin Espinosa (above), a trainer with the Honduran Coffee Institute (IHCAFE) conducts a quality control workshop with a group of Rio Olancho coffee producers (below)

The Rio Olancho Direct Trade Coffee Project is an amazing success story, made possible only by the commitment and hard work of coffee producers in remote communities throughout Olancho Department. Beginning in 2009 with just six producers in the village of El Carrizal, the project now involves nearly 60 growers from a dozen communities.

Prior to this project, these small-amount producers received just a fraction of the market price for their ‘supermarket grade’ coffee. But with encouragement from The Carpenteros and Friends and Diaconia Nacional – an agency of the Christian Reformed Church in Honduras – these growers took a leap of faith as they focused on producing the highest quality coffee possible.

Through field visits, workshops and one-on-one training provided by Diaconia Nacional and the Honduran Coffee Institute (IHCAFE), the Rio Olancho coffee producers learn how to achieve the highest quality at each stage of growing, picking, sorting and preparation of their strictly high-grown Arabica coffee.

Producers are also taught to protect the delicate mountain environment. The coffee is shade grown using organic fertilizer and natural insect control methods, and the natural habit is protected for tropical and migratory birds and other wildlife. By adhering to these environmental practices and ensuring fair wages and safe working conditions for employees and pickers, Rio Olancho coffee has earned the Diaconia Nacional distinction of being ‘Certified Ethical.’

Once picked, the coffee is dried and the husks are removed, and it is inspected for quality before being processed at the modern COCAOL facility in Santa Maria del Real. As part of the emphasis on quality, any defective coffee beans are removed through triple hand-sorting by experienced sorters.

Finally, before being deemed export-worthy, the coffee is cupped and scored by a panel of experts, and must achieve a rating of ‘excellence’. All farmers whose coffee is accepted for export receive a 30-percent premium over the current global base price, with a

further premium paid for exceptionally high scoring coffee. This payment schedule was developed with input from the coffee growers, and not only rewards their hard work but also creates an incentive for achieving even higher quality.

And the training continues after the harvest, as producers again meet with IHCAFE trainers to participate in a ‘Cup of Excellence’ competition and taste how their quality-control efforts are achieving a premium flavour.

The Rio Olancho project has grown to involve 60 producers from a dozen communities who are providing 30,000 pounds of high quality coffee. And, because of the success of this project and its incentive for those who are committed to quality, more and more farmers are asking to become part of the project.

The hard-working Rio Olancho coffee growers take tremendous pride in their coffee. They sincerely hope you enjoy their coffee, and they thank you for the support that allows them to provide a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.

Rio Olancho participant Rolando Guifarro at his coffee fieldJuan Breanel (dark shirt) delivers his crop of green coffee beansThe founding group of producers from El Carrizal

Many of the Rio Olancho growers following a training sessionProject funds provided greenhouses for drying the coffee beansRio Olancho growers are proud of the quality of their crop