Thursday, May 11, 2006

 

Another Successful Season!

We can officially say that the first Fair Trade certified product has shipped from Laos! On April 7, the Jhai Coffee Farmer Cooperative shipped a container of Arabica Typica to Thanksgiving Coffee in Northern California. They sampled the coffee and gave glowing reviews - so much so that I didn't believe them at first. How did we celebrate? A whole lot of Beer Lao and rice whisky and one first class hangover.

The end of the season, of course, means lots of clean up, equipment storage, wrapping up accounting reports and preparing samples for new customers. We completed payment on the harvest finance loan to our new financing partner, Rabobank Foundation, and look forward to growing our production with their support. The farmers participated in a professional cupping program at the local coffee research center, and despite alot of choking, gasping and laughter they appreciated the chance to taste their own work.

As we come to the end of May, the co-op is focused on two new developments. The first is a program to work with robusta coffee beans, which make up over 70% of the farmers' coffee harvest. With the support of Tony Marsh, a UN FAO technical coffee advisor, we are pursuing a grant from New Zealand AID to buy equipment and provide training for the farmers.

Even if we don't get the funding, we will still pursue a smaller project with the goal of producing one container of specially prepared robusta for the coming harvest. Robusta is known as the low end bean used in instant coffee; however, in Laos, this tree grows at a high elevation and when combined with a special processing method, the resulting coffee is considered one of the smoothest robustas in the world.

The second development is a redesign of the production for the co-op. After six years of training member farmers, the JCFC leadership has made the decision to decentralize the processing of coffee - getting the farmers more involved and giving them greater ownership. We have the great privilege of having a new consultant working with us to advise on this change. Her name is Emma Townsend-Gault, and she has been busy in village development efforts in Southern Laos for the past couple years.

Fluent in Lao and with a real affinity for Lao culture, Emma brings a much needed dimension to the limited skills of yours truly. Emma is also in the midst of opening a new bar in Pakse, so if you find yourself in the area, look up the Riverbar. I promise you a great frozen margarita with a rice whiskey chaser!

Comments:
I have been surfing on-line more than three hours as of
late, yet I never found any interesting article like yours.
It's pretty value enough for me. Personally, if all web owners and bloggers made just right content as you probably did, the net will likely be a lot more useful than ever before.

Here is my web site 100 Day Loan Review
 
Pretty component of content. I just stumbled upon your blog
and in accession capital to say that I get actually
loved account your blog posts. Anyway I'll be subscribing to your augment or even I fulfillment you get entry to persistently rapidly.

Here is my website: instant cash loans for unemployed
 
I am curious to find out what blog system you're using? I'm experiencing some minor security
issues with my latest blog and I would like to find something more safe.

Do you have any solutions?

Also visit my site: Androsolve Review
 
Heya i am for the primary time here. I found this board and I
to find It really helpful & it helped me out much. I hope
to provide one thing again and aid others such as you helped me.


Check out my website :: Diet Patch Review
 
It's going to be ending of mine day, except before end I am reading this wonderful article to improve my experience.

Here is my web page: Automated pay days reviews
 
Thank you for some other informative blog. The place
else could I get that type of info written in such a perfect
approach? I have a mission that I'm simply now running on, and I've been at the look out for such information.


testostrong review
 
Post a Comment



<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?