About This Coffee
Unión de Cooperativas Agropecuarias (UCA) Miraflor is a union of 12 multisectoral cooperatives established in 1990, operating across 36 communities within the Miraflor-Moropotente protected natural reserve in Estelí, Nicaragua. Over 400 smallholder producers, including a significant representation of women and youth, make up the membership. Four of the twelve base cooperatives are women-only, and 40% of the overall membership are women. UCA Miraflor has held Fairtrade certification since 2004, and the cooperative's social premium is directed by the General Assembly toward education, infrastructure, technical assistance and nursery programs. The cooperative is also an active member of CAFENICA (The Nicaraguan Association of Smallholder Coffee Cooperatives) and CLAC (the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Small Fair Trade Producers and Workers) and has received support from institutions including Rabobank and Progreso.
Cultivation
UCA Miraflor's producer communities farm within the 470 square kilometers of the Miraflor-Moropotente protected natural reserve, at altitudes between 1,000 and 1,450 meters above sea level. Coffee is grown under shade, and farmers use organic fertilizers produced on their own farms, reflecting the coop's strong commitment to agro-ecological practices and environmental conservation. UCA actively works to involve youth in the future of coffee farming, and many members diversify their income through ecotourism, vegetables, basic grains and livestock alongside coffee production. Current plantings focus on Caturra, Catuai and Pacamara.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Cherry is selectively handpicked at peak ripeness by UCA Miraflor members across their farms in the reserve. After picking, coffee is delivered to Soppexcca's facilities, where it undergoes wet milling, drying and quality control.
Coffee in Nicaragua
Nicaragua may not be the most famous producer of Central American coffee, but it has great potential. The country is known as the land of ‘los lagos y los volcanes’ (lakes and volcanos) and has many coffee growing ‘pockets’ that few have heard of or experienced. Many producers in the country are experimenting with new varieties and processing methods, making it a specialty origin to watch.
Many coffee producers in Nicaragua today are buoyed by cooperatives that provide a wide array of services, supports and opportunity. As seen in the win of the ‘El Acuerdo de las Tunas’, where 3,000 landless workers won land rights, collective action by farmers can be far more effective at enacting widespread change than the advocacy of individual farmers.
Cooperatives and farmer associations in Nicaragua encompass a large percentage of the country’s coffee producers, and they are taking their destiny in their own hands. By putting great emphasis on quality and by aiming for the international specialty coffee industry, cooperatives and farmers associations are helping their members gain influence and import that will, hopefully, garner enough profit to enable farmers to continue to improve and invest in their farms and their families.
Large and medium-sized (10+ hectare) farms also hold a significant place in Nicaragua’s coffee landscape, as well. Many of these farms have also prioritized social and environmental issues and are working on quality improvements at both cultivation and post-harvest levels.
Farmers, for the most part, will process coffee on their own farms, and the majority of the time coffee is dried on large drying patios under sun.