Nicaragua SHG FTO - Las Segovias (2020 Crop)

The Las Segovias Certified Organic Coffee Producers Multisectoral Cooperative (PROCOCER) is located in Nicaragua, in the Nueva Segovia region.

The goal of the cooperative is to market organic coffee. It was founded with 160 producers in1999 and began its first export with two containers of coffee to the United States. It is an organization of small producers, who work with family labor. It is recognized as a solid, profitable cooperative that improves the quality of life for families and partners, in harmony with the environment and with equitable gender relationships.

PROCOCER is a cooperative made up of 362 partners producing organic coffee. The producer delivers his cherries directly to the collection centers of the cooperative, then the cooperative sends it to the dry mill where the grain is duly processed in batches according to varieties and quality.

On average, the total area of each producer ranges from 8.4 Ha. of which they grow 2.96 Ha. of organic coffee. To achieve a better impact within organic caficulture, coffee by-products are treated and productive diversification is being promoted as a strategy for economic improvement.

Yields have remained at an average of 18 qqs/Ha.

The biggest challenge for the cooperative is in the sale of coffee under all fair trade, organic and SPP certifications, in addition to the collection of production since the cooperation does not have sufficient capital for the retention of coffee, which results in at least half of the coffee produced under organic technology to be sold to the local market at the price of a square, undermining the producers' efforts.