The relationship between Dean’s Beans and PRODECOOP, a dynamic network of cooperatives in Nicaragua, is the longest-standing partnership in our company’s history. That means lots of people-centered development projects!
Our partnership with PRODECOOP exemplifies how long-term relationships can drive sustainable development. Together, we've weathered challenges and celebrated successes, always guided by a shared vision of community empowerment and quality coffee production.
- Collaborating with the Polus Center to build a locally run prosthetic clinic for landmine victims injured during and after civil war raged in Nicaragua in the 1980s
- Building Central America's first café-roastery to supporting literacy and reforestation projects
- Providing water catchment systems for portable water in the Mira Flor farming community
- Investing in the ongoing literacy program
Years ago, during a visit to Nicaragua, Dean met with a group of women he came to call “The Unseen Women of Coffee.” They weren’t asking for machines or money, they asked for books. They knew that without literacy, their children would remain trapped in the poverty that has long accompanied small-scale coffee farming.
That spark became “Que Rico Leer Con Cafe!” (How Delicious to Read with Coffee!) which serves hundreds of coffee farmers’ children and grandchildren every year.
What began as a bookmobile has grown into permanent libraries called "Rincónes de Cuentos" (Story Corners) located right at the coffee collection points. Children read to each other while their parents deliver beans, and these spaces have also become centers for group learning, storytelling, and creativity.
And it doesn’t stop with kids. In 2019, the project expanded to offer resources for teens and adults to learn to read, inspired by the incredible progress of their children and siblings. Literacy is now a shared dream across generations, as children teach their parents how to read.
Our collaboration yields a distinctive Nicaraguan coffee known for its chocolate notes and full-bodied flavor, reflecting the rich soil and setting it apart from other Central American varieties. This versatile coffee is a key component in many of our blends. Try one today!