Hurricane Eta & Iota Update and the Impact on Central American Coffee Producers

Hurricane Eta & Iota Update and the Impact on Central American Coffee Producers

In the past few weeks, Central America has been affected by Hurricane Eta and Iota (class 4 & 5, respectively). The resulting devastation has displaced thousands of families and destroyed many coffee farms.

 

Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama were hit by both hurricanes and Colombia, which was also hit, suffered heavy flooding in the Urrao region.

 

We have been in contact with farmers & producers we work with. Fortunately, everyone is safe, but farms & infrastructure have been destroyed.

 

Honduras: Both El Filo & Piedras Amarillas are safe, but other farms in Santa Barbara have seen landslides and loss of farmland due to heavy rain which has caused many families to depart from the region.

 

For the month of November, we will be donating $2 from each bag of Honduras El Filo & Piedras Amirillas to help families in this area.

 

Costa Rica: Our producing partner, Hacienda Sonora, has had a part of their farm destroyed by landslides; we are waiting for a full update and will reach out to help when possible.

 

Nicaragua: While we have no current offerings, Rogue Wave is planning to release a Cold Anaerobic Laurina soon from the Mierisch Family Farm. While the family and farm are safe, many in the region have lost homes and livelihoods.

 

In December, we will donate 15% of our Laurina sale towards the community in Nicaragua.

 

Panama: The Boquete in Panama was hit hard, and while our producing partners are safe, parts of their farms are devastated. Roads have been destroyed, and producers like Finca Deborah have needed food and supplies helicoptered in.

 

The SCA Panama and Finca Deborah have set up a relief fund to help farmers affected by the hurricane and rebuild infrastructure. As such, part of our proceeds of Abu Coffee, releasing in early December, will be donated to SCA Panama.Part of the Finca Deborah Reserve Mini Pack will be donated to the Rebuild Los Pozos Fund set up by Jamison Savage.

 

We hope to be able to continue supporting the coffee community in times of need and helping other important social issues. While our resources are limited, small ripples can be the start of a larger impact.

 

And a personal note to our community of coffee producers in Central America: thank you for always providing us with consistent high quality coffee, we are always excited to roast and share it with our community in Canada and the rest of the world. We hope that during this time, you, your family, friends, and neighbours are staying safe, and we will be present to help in the process of rebuilding. Sending a warm hug from the cold North, Rogue Wave Coffee.

Translation provided by Lissette Vega

A la comunidad productora de café en Centroamérica: gracias por constantemente proveernos de cafes de tan alta calidad, consistentes e interesantes para tostar y compartir con nuestra comunidad en Canadá y el mundo. Esperamos que se encuentren a salvo junto a sus familiares, amigos y vecinos. Nos haremos presente para apoyarlos en lo posible en el proceso de reconstrucción. Un cálido abrazo de parte del frío norte.

El equipo de Rogue Wave

You can also help by donating to:

Honduras:https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuilding-coffee-families

Nicaragua:  https://www.anfnicaragua.org/hurricanerelief

Panama SCA: Global Bank SCAP N. 16-101-23044-9

Panama - Rebuilding Los Pozos - https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuilding-los-pozos-panama

 

Back to blog