NECT has recently entered into a new partnership with Galana Coffee Company. Founded in 2016, Galana Coffee is based in Honduras and was created to help develop a source of sustainable income for coffee farmers who live in Cañada Galana, Honduras. For the majority of farmers in this small village, this is their only source of income. However, when they sell the coffee domestically they get a very low price for it. That is where Galana Coffee comes in. They partner with the coffee farmers to export their coffee in order to receive a significantly higher price for it.
Cañada Galana is a rural village with 101 families, one grade school, three churches, and no electricity. Our partnership supports the community and the work of Pastor Lupito Antunes, who pastors one of the three churches.
An update from Doug Boydston:
I, Doug Boydston, was privileged to travel to Honduras this year (2021) with Lisa Buffinga and her son Jake (who was also our translator). Covid in 2020 shut down the coffee export business and many farmers had abandoned their fields so Lisa was anxious to visit the farmers Galana Coffee has supported in recent years to find out how they are doing and evaluate the situation in order to plan for the future. We were able to travel there in April despite a few Covid protocol hurdles we had to jump. I was so impressed with the relationships that the Buffingas had developed over the years with the people of Cañada Galana. Their love for each other did not diminish during Covid. We were treated to wonderful hospitality, and it was a privilege to worship with them as well. My senses needed some adjustment - the wakeup call of the roosters and the barn yard in the backyard - but I experienced the joy of life in the village esp. through the children. I was impressed with the resilience of many of the farmers and there was some progress. The village got electricity last year and some of the roads were improved by the government. There was evidence of physical loss and loss of hope for the future. It seems almost all have relatives who have left Honduras, in some cases hiring a ‘coyote’ to take them though Mexico to the US border. Money from folks who have left is often what keeps folks alive back home. It seems coffee farming is not providing a sustainable livelihood for many. All family members have to be entrepreneurs and have other ways to make money to keep them going. They are surviving but we want to see them thrive and prosper. We also were able to spend a few days at the home of Arturo (Carlos)Colindres who is a strong Christian and a strong leader with a passion for coffee. Arturo is committed to staying in Honduras and helping farmers like those in Cañada Galana to raise the quality of their crop to compete in the export market and make a living wage. I got to hike up to Arturo’s coffee fields at over 4,000’ elevation and get an education on coffee farming and in a word it is hard. There are many steps in the process of getting a crop to market and a mistake in anyone of them spells doom.
We are excited to announce we are forming a new coop around Arturo, who will be the director, to develop farmers and increase the volume of coffee they can export. We have the support of Partners World Wide Home- Partners Worldwide and have formed a Business Affiliate (BA) team in the US to not only support the new coop in Honduras but to help Galana Coffee grow as a not for profit importer of coffee. We are cutting out the middle man and returning those dollars back to the farmers. Galana Coffee will now phase out of retail coffee sales and focus on distribution of green beans to roasters. We are seeking out roasters who want to do direct trade with our farmers and want to market their coffee with the story of the farmer producing it. If you know of any roasters whose owners have a heart for justice and direct trade let us know. Pray for us this coming year as we are launching the new coop, organizing a mission trip for March 2022 and hope to import 20,000 #s ofcoffee this year from Olancho coffee farmers.
