Coffee producers receive relief payments from Starbucks through Mercon Coffee Group

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• Small and medium coffee producers were benefited by Starbucks Emergency Farmer Relief Fund

Earlier this month, the international coffee chain Starbucks distributed payments from its Emergency Farmer Relief Fund to coffee producers that are part of its C.A.F.E practices verification program in Nicaragua. This disbursement of more than $2.1 million dollars is made through Mercon Coffee Group, a global green coffee supplier, as part of Starbucks’ commitment to contribute to the short-term and long-term sustainability of the coffee supply chain, especially given the low market prices.

The payment will be distributed among more than 1,300 coffee producing families in the areas of Matagalpa, Jinotega and Nueva Segovia.

“A majority of the coffee we purchase comes from smallholder farmers, and through economic transparency in our supply chain, we’ve been able to see which supply chains have been particularly vulnerable during the pricing crisis,” said Michelle Burns, senior vice president, Global Coffee and Tea. “We have a role and responsibility in helping smallholder farmers sustain their livelihoods.”

All the benefited producers stand out for implementing sustainable production practices on their farms incorporating socially and environmentally responsible initiatives. These practices have allowed producers to increase their productivity in a sustainable way and reach high cupping scores.

“Starbucks Emergency Relief Fund provides unprecedented support to the coffee community of the region with a real impact in the livelihoods of our coffee producers. This achievement is the result of working together with Starbucks and our producers for more than 20 years, which reaffirms our commitment to grow together in a sustainable way to build a better coffee world,” said Oscar Sevilla, CEO of Mercon Coffee Corporation.

“There are no words to express how thankful I am for the support I’ve been given.  With this great gift, I will be able to make improvements to my home, my coffee mill and continue producing quality coffee,” said Jose Fermín Ruiz Talavera, owner of La Barata Farm in Jinotega, Nicaragua.

Additionally, this week, Mercon Coffee Group will also distribute more than U$ 500,000 in Guatemala as part of Starbucks Emergency Relief Fund in this country. This will benefit 123 small and medium-sized producers in the areas of Santa Rosa, Guatemala City and Esquipulas. Together, the farms of these producers are equivalent to more than 2,000 hectares of coffee which have been produced through sustainable practices.

These contributions are part of Starbucks Emergency Relief Fund, a commitment of up to $20 million dollars to provide support to producers in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua in response to critically low coffee prices during the 18-19 harvest.

Mercon Coffee Group is a vertically integrated global green coffee supplier, with a vast experience in farming, production, trading, logistics, and risk management, being one of the leading coffee companies in the world.  It has a trajectory of more than 65 years in the business granting them global access to the coffee supply chain. Their operations in Nicaragua are led by CISA Exportadora, the leading export company in the country.