Hard work pays off...

We've got a lot of good news out of Peru to share with you! It's news that demonstrates REAL progress with our coop partners at Pangoa. A huge congratulations to Esperanza (head of the coop), Irene (reforestation program and plant nursery manager - prounounced "ee-RAYnay") and the entire team who have been working hard all year to improve the lives of the coop farmers! Read on!

Fruit Tree Program
ready for launch!

We just received a comprehensive report from Irene & Esperanza at Pangoa about the reforestation program using native fruit trees. This project started back during our trip in March, with the ultimate goal of providing a lucrative answer to deforestation and a changing climate.

By reforesting the land with productive native fruit trees, the coop can provide a secondary source of income for the farmers and community in the off-season, as well as continuing to grow shade-grown coffee. We just got the news that they're ready to plant! They have successfully gathered all necessary tools, readied the soil, and sprouted the seeds (see top picture) of Jackfruit, passion fruit, cacao, guanabana and many more delectable varieties.

There are now nurseries full of saplings ready to be handed out to all partners and members of the coop. The goal is to plant 2500 new fruit trees through the entire coop region - what an ingenious (and delicious) way to create positive change!

Our Peru is now SMBC Certified!

The second piece of good news is that Pangoa is now officially bird-friendly! Last April, we reported that we were pushing Pangoa to go for the certification, because we knew they would pass. While it's all still new, in time we will be able to put the official Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center certification logo on all our Peruvian coffee, in addition to our Guatemalan!