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»passion for coffee & fairness to the farmer & what it means for us«

»Don't judge a person until you've walked a mile in their shoes.«

This old Indian quote is the basis of fair trade for us - because only
if we understand the world of the other, we understand what drives them
and their needs.

But what does that mean at farmersvaluefirst?

The two Frankfurt boys - one an artist, the other a banker - never dreamed they would one day work together on a major coffee project. But let's tell their story from the beginning...

Specialty Coffee instead of illegal opium cultivation: That is the alternative we offer the farmers of the Hopong Cooperative in Myanmar. The first bags of this coffee with its special banana note were only delivered to Europe in 2017. Since then, the farmers' production and economic independence has been growing exponentially.

A Robusta coffee that has the quality level of a specialty coffee: That alone is a sensation. The second surprise: It comes from India, a country that is not exactly known for its coffee cultivation (unjustly, we think!). And best of all, this Speciality Coffee is comprehensively organically grown according to the latest agroforestry principles.

• Fine-Robusta
• Coffee grows in dense forest at 1000m altitude
• Ecological cultivation

The Venkids Valley Plantation is located 950 to 1,150m above sea level. It is home to over forty different jungle trees that provide shade for the coffee plants.

At the Venkids Valley Estate plantation, "agroforestry techniques" are being rediscovered and extensively developed. Thus, the young coffee plants are shaded by a variety of different fruit trees (such as mango, jackfruit, sapota).

Brazil is famous for its coffee, but growing coffee at the Tropic of Capricorn (23°S) is not really possible. In 2004, Dr. Paulo founded the Fazenda California. Even though no one believed it yet - he and his nephew Luiz Saldanha were convinced that due to climate change, coffee plantations at a low altitude (450 - 1,200 meters above sea level) could produce outstanding coffee.

Today, the vision has become reality and Capricornio's coffees are known worldwide for their quality and have been awarded in the national competition "Brazilian barista competition". The coffee is grown in a modern and ecological way. They use organic fertilizers and focus entirely on producing specialty coffee of the highest quality.

Byron Rodriguez started working on his father's plantation as a teenager, earning pocket money by going to farms in the area and doing repairs. As his father's plantation, San Isidro, grew larger, he took on the task of building what is known as a "wet mill," a facility that separates the pulp from the coffee beans. Byron threw himself into the project with enthusiasm, building every screw by hand. Today, San Isidro is known for this very special jewel, the handmade hulling machine.

People who, full of passion for quality & innovation, build their own machines and don't even let political instability stop them: That's what makes the nutty, chocolaty Specialty Coffee from Nicaragua so special for us.

The regular name of "Abba Olly" is Giday Berhe. He started his coffee career in 1993 as a coffee trader in Jimma. But he dreamed of producing high quality coffee himself, so a few years later he opened his own station to prepare regional coffee for export. At the turn of the millennium, he took the next step and bought a plantation in the village of Galeh in the Jimma region. He named it "Limu Kossa".

A family business that is FairTrade & Organic certified, passionately committed to building knowledge, and solely in control of the entire export process - that's a rarity! Unique fruity-chocolate flavors make this specialty coffee one of our favorites.

Abakundakawa Rushashi is the name of the cooperative that was founded in 2007. It is an association of nearly 2,000 small family farms that grow coffee on their plantations and wash, dry and market it together in the central Rushashi "Coffee Washing Station" (CWS). Our Abakundakawa coffee stands for women empowerment, organic coffee cultivation and innovative agroforestry in Rwanda.

SORTING, SORTING, SORTING

... should have been my answer to everyone who asked me: André, what did you do all day on the coffee farm in Colombia?

Unbelievable that this process can be so important for the result of a good cup of coffee. But when I was allowed to help sort it myself and saw the results, I knew why.

For us it is fascinating to see how a man with a great vision and absolute integrity manages to lead a whole village, his large family with its independent small plantations and also friendly families to economic success and independence. It is the first specialty coffee to come from the village of Genova in Nariño. Genova is located unusually high in the mountains (1,950 - 2,000 meters above sea level). The special climate of the region gives Juan Pablo's coffee a unique flavor. The taste is chocolaty and sweet with a hint of apple - and a unique story: Juan Pablo is the second-born son of the Argote family and grew up in the village of Genova basicly among coffee plants. He managed to build up the entire value chain within his coffee production.