Coffee & cocoa producers attend Nicaragua's leading export fair
On the 6th of October, representatives and beneficiaries of the 'Access to Sustainable Markets and Food Security for Nicaragua's Coffee and Cocoa Producers' (PROMESSA-CAFCA) project attended the 2016 EXPOAPEN Fair in Nicaragua.
EXPOAPEN is the leading export event for Nicaragua's production sector, aiming to generate more and better business in the region. The fair was an ideal platform for PROMESSA-CAFCA's producer organisations to talk about their work, showcase the project's activities and results and develop new partnerships.
In order to establish new business contacts, they participated in a business round. COOMCAFE, one of the coffee organisations, met with a potential Costa Rican buyer, kick-starting discussions about the introduction of the Nicaraguan coffee into Costa Rican supermarkets. Other 12 representatives took part in the International Congress of Marketing and Innovation for Export. In addition, producer organisations had the opportunity to attend a knowledge exchange event where they could share best practices and lessons learned.
SNV Nicaragua representative, Mr. Emmanuel Bejar, together with producers and leading partners, gave a speech about the project's main results, impact and learnings. To date, the project has helped increase coffee sales by 23% and cocoa sales by 128%. The income of farming families increased by 74% in coffee and by 82% in cocoa.
And to top it off, we also won the first place in the 'Promotion of Brands and Products' booth contest (out of 147 booths).
The 'Access to Sustainable Markets & Food Security for Nicaragua's Coffee & Cocoa Producers' project is implemented by an alliance consisting of SNV, Exportadora Atlantic S. A (member of ECOM Coffee Group), the Foundation for Technological, Agricultural and Forestry Development of Nicaragua (FUNICA), the 'ZAMORANO' Panamerican Agriculture University and UTZ Certified, with resources from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Exportadora Atlantic S. A.