Here are some pictures of our participation in Fenicafé, one of the most important events directed to coffee producers in Brazil. The event was recorded and published on UStream, which you can see here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/fenicafe
Fenicafé is attended by thousands of producers from the Cerrado Mineiro region of Brazil, mainly from the Araguari area. In these pictures you´ll see banners telling the story of producers who are experts in quality and best farming practices – this is very inspiring to other producers.
We have a cafeteria in this booth, designed to bring some of the look and feel of a specialty coffee shop. We have a barista interacting with producers and pouring great espressos from a fantastic La Marzocco machine. By doing this we share the specialty coffee culture with producers and bring a perspective from the market from the roaster and barista point of view.
We also show our traceability system as tool to foster best farming practices to ensure an ethically grown coffee.
Chepe’s wife placed a small lantern on the table alongside a set of well-worn pens and a workbook. She said that Chepe and their son go through a lot of pens doing their homework together.This year, ADESPA began offering radio-based education to adults in the communities they serve. Students listen to listen to ½ hour lessons five days a week and meet with a teacher once a week to clarify doubts and take tests.“I really like this system of learning by radio because it works with my schedule,” Chepe said. “I learned basic reading and writing when I was a child, but only had two years of school. I had to leave my studies because the school was too far away and my family was very poor. We all had to work to survive.”Chepe was born on Finca Santa Felisa in Paraxaj and still lives there in a humble one-room home with his family. By 7 a.m. each day, Chepe is at work in the coffee fields of the finca. After work, he spends time tending to his small parcel of corn and cares for his cow before evening classes begin.“My wife was able to finish her primary schooling when she was a child and she’s very surprised,” Chepe said. “She says that I know more than her and I’m just barely at the fourth grade level.”See photos from our latest visit in Guatemala 