A couple of months ago one of our customers (who’s a real fan of our Byron’s Maracaturra Micro-Lot coffee) was heading off to Nicaragua and asked us if we could arrange a visit to the farm of Byron Martinez, one of our Fair to Farmer Direct™ farmers in the Matagalpa region. As it turned out we were able to arrange a meeting. Upon their return, they asked us to share this account of their visit. So, in their words, the story goes as follows:
“My partner and I had one of the best days of our vacation seeing Byron’s farm, driving in the truck with him through the Matagalpa region and hearing about his efforts toward sustainable organic production and the 'life cycle of coffee'. We started the day with a tour of the coffee plant section of his farm, with the coffee plants in full bloom with plump cherries amidst the avocado, lime, orange and other produce plants. He talked about the importance of mixing coffee with other crops for natural pest control. From there, we met his cows (who produce all of the fertilizer for his farm) and saw the cow-food section of the farm where he grows a variety of grasses, sugar cane, and other organic goodies for wee beasties. Then he took us to see the machines that separate the cherry flesh from the bean (so many steps involved!) and the husk of the bean from the end product dried and sent for shipping. We also saw his compost piles, manure/fertilizer field, and the room where he feeds and milks the cows. From there he took us up the hill to where he collects water run-off from the mountains, we saw his own organic vegetable crop and the multitude of medicinal herbs that his sister grows on the farm.
Throughout the day, Byron and his son (Byron Jr.) spoke about the
importance of caring for the entire coffee growing process and how, if
he takes good care of the cows, the cows care for the coffee plants and
the fruits and vegetable crops, and the coffee/fruit/veggies take care
of his family and his community. He talked about the relative ease in
which his own day-to-day labours consist of without the use of
chemicals and the importance of working with his cooperative and the
larger community to reduce chemical use in Nicaragua for other growers
(regardless of crop type). At the end of the day, we rode with Byron
and his son into Jinotega to attend a 'party' for some of the children
of chemical-based coffee plantation workers - these specific children
have been diagnosed with a variety of cancers with leukaemia being most
prominent. We arrived shortly after the majority of children left but
we met some of the kids and the staff and heard about the work the
organization does to promote organic growing. All in all, this was a
very powerful reinforcement of our decisions back home to purchase
fair-trade organic products – coffee especially. Byron contributes
some of his earnings to this agency and helps the agency to promote
awareness of the consequences of chemical farming. After that, the four
of us travelled into Jinotega proper and we all went for lunch then
walked around the community for a short stint before taking the new
(and unbelievably scenic) road back into Matagalpa.
On the way out to the farm, Byron had picked up several people to
give them a lift along the road toward his farm - and, of course, he
didn't charge them. That, and his sense of community, his principles
around organic farming and the importance of taking care of every
aspect of the growing cycle, his care for the children with cancer, and
just his general good nature (he is, by far, one of the happiest people
we met!) made us think that he is quite simply a wonderful human
being. We were (and are) grateful to have been able to spend the day
with him, to learn and see where our coffee comes from, and to have the
lessons reinforced about ethical decision-making in our day-to-day
purchases. Thank you both so much for making that possible.”
This may sound a bit over-the-top but, in reality, this is just how great the day with Byron was!
A couple of months ago one of our customers (who’s a real fan of our Byron’s Maracaturra Micro-Lot coffee) was heading off to Nicaragua and asked us if we could arrange a visit to the farm of Byron Martinez, one of our Fair to Farmer Direct™ farmers in the Matagalpa region. As it turned out we were able to arrange a meeting. Upon their return, they asked us to share this account of their visit. So, in their words, the story goes as follows:
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