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24 Feb2020 Change the world on your coffee break this Fairtrade Fortnight

Every year during Fairtrade Fortnight we support a nominated Insomnia Community project and donate 5 pence from each hot beverage sold during that period. To date we have raised over £112,000.

This year, all funds raised between February 24th and March 8th, will go directly to the ACODIHUE (Asociacion de Cooperacion al Desarrollo Integral de Huehuetenango) Cooperative in Guatemala with the aim of Empowering and Advancing Women within the Coffee Industry. 

The amount raised during these two weeks will provide:

• Financial independence for the women of the ACODIHUE cooperative in Guatemala
• Technical training to ensure higher levels of productivity on the farms
• Improved management processes for coffee cultivation

ACODIHUE was founded in 1996 in the city of Huehuetenango, Guatemala. The mission of ACODIHUE is to contribute to the sustainable social economic development of partner organisations and the local population through the provision of services, the promotion of value chains and entrepreneurship. It was one of the first organisations to promote coffee grown by its members under the label of “Café a Manos de Mujer” (“Coffee Made by Women”). The initiative has been successful and the coffee of ACODIHUE is already recognised in the international market. However, the women now want to use better production in the planting of the crop to increase productivity without jeopardising the quality of the coffee produced.

The coffee of ACODIHUE grows in an altitude range between 1300 and 1800 meters and its main harvest is between the months of December to April. The women carry out the cultural tasks and management of coffee under a sustainable approach complying with the criteria of Fairtrade production.

The harvesting process is carried out mainly with the use of family labour or with neighbours of the community, the harvesting is done manually and collecting only the mature grains, then the primary selection of grains is made to select the best grains and conserve the quality, once selected it is pulped, fermented, washed, culminated in these processes, another selection of imperfect grains is made in the runner channel and later it is sun dried in patios until it reaches a humidity level between 12 to 10% , at which point it is ready for storage.

Afterwards, a sample is taken for quality control, once the quality of the batch is accepted, the delivery to ACODIHUE's central warehouses is organised, after which the lots are prepared according to the requirements and order of customers. 

The funds raised during Fairtrade Fortnight will ensure the women of the ACODIHUE cooperative in will have financial independence and improve productivity and management at farm level.

None of this will be possible without your support, so please join us this year to Empower and Advance Women within the Coffee Industry.