An initiative to support women coffee producers.

Women play a vital role, taking part in every stage of the supply chain but often handling the most time-consuming, most seasonal and lowest-paid tasks (like sowing, harvesting and sorting). Studies show that when women manage household income, there are many benefits: better child education, health, economic stability and overall family wellbeing.

This year, we are celebrating Christmas with Oscar Daza's coffees, our partner in Colombia since 2017. 

A few years ago, Belco and producer Oscar Daza (owner and manager of La Pradera) decided to invest in the purchase of a plot of land (under the project name “Pilos Del Café”) backing onto the local public school in Aratoca.

On this plot, the school's students learn about agronomy and agroecology and discover all the stages of coffee production, from planting to processing. The coffees produced on this plot enable the school to continue operating year after year.

This year, we want to treat the school children to a festive Christmas snack and finance the planting of young Laurina coffee trees, a rare variety, on their plot.

For every kilo of coffee you buy, €0.10 will be donated to the Christmas project for the children—and Belco will double the amount!

→ That's €0.20 raised for every kilo sold.

Together, let's make every cup a concrete gesture for the communities that grow your coffee.

For 10 years, we have been taking practical action to protect and develop forests through our Forest Coffees® brand

Forest Coffees® are ultra-high-quality coffees grown in well-preserved environments. Our trademark recognizes the know-how of local farmers and their in-depth knowledge of coffee agroforestry techniques. It illustrates the model’s environmental, social and economic merits.

Agroforestry allows farmers to diversify their income: agricultural production, timber and firewood, fodder, fruit, honey, etc. And thus reduce the vulnerability of the producer with less dependence on a single crop. The impact on biodiversity and soil quality is also considerable.

Fresh Coffee Clean Ocean: Our brand that guarantees you a decarbonized sea transport by 70 to 90% for your coffees.

Meeting El Maestro: Don Herbert Betancourt

The cacao trees on the Comalapa farm were planted in the early 2010s by Luis Barrientos, the farm's owner. The farm has been in his family for several generations.
The south of the farm offers an impressive view of the Pacific coast and the north of the Izalco volcano. Hacienda Comalapa is in a region mainly dedicated to cattle breeding and the cultivation of sugar cane and cereals. This beautifully preserved natural oasis contrasts with the extreme poverty of the neighboring communities. This is where cacao can change lives by providing better working conditions. ​&nbsp;
The water source at the heart of the hacienda has remained intact. It is protected by a forest of ancient trees that also provides shade for the cacao. From 2021, we witnessed the agricultural work done to preserve organic matter in the soil to regulate erosion.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Luis Barrientos.jpeg

El Salvador is a land of volcanoes. There are 23 throughout the country, 5 of which are active. The country has a surface area of 21,041 km², making it the smallest in Central America. It has an essentially mountainous topography, although the Pacific coast that runs down the side of the country is flat. Its highest point is El Pital, which stands at 2,730 metres. In terms of climate, it has a wet season, a dry season, and tropical weather all year round.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Since the introduction of its first seedlings in the 1740s, Arabica coffee cultivation initially reached Ahuachapán, Santa Ana, and Sonsonate, encouraged by agrarian colonialism, which, between 1870 and 1930, promoted the expulsion of communal lands in favor of a landed elite, the so-called 14 families, consolidating itself as the country's economic foundation. In Sonsonate, especially in municipalities such as Juayúa, Izalco, Salcoatitán, and Nahuizalco, coffee became the local economic backbone, generating employment and increased population on coffee farms and in processing plants.
In terms of production, Sonsonate has been part of the country's so-called western coffee mountain range, providing high-quality coffee, especially shade-grown varieties like Bourbon and Pacas. Despite this, recent decades have been marked by a severe crisis: diseases like coffee rust, climate change, low profitability, and the abandonment of farms have significantly reduced production and employment in the area. 
From an environmental perspective, the shade – grown coffee plantations that predominate in Sonsonate function as forests, capturing carbon, regulating watersheds, and preserving biodiversity. Nearly 95% of the crops are shaded and provide approximately 7.8% of the national vegetation cover. 
Today, coffee farms not only generate income and temporary and permanent employment for thousands of families in the region, but they also define the economic mobilization and organization of many rural communities.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Bio label guarantees products from organic farming that comply with the requirements of European legislation.

Customer services (data collection, marketing tools, quality control, training), operating costs (tax, salaries, rent, service charges) and net margin.

Customer services (data collection, marketing tools, quality control, training), operating costs (taxes, salaries, rent, overheads) and net margin.

Financing sourcing at origin and supporting our local subsidiaries. These enable us to support producers in adopting more resilient agricultural practices and to set up social and environmental projects.

Financing of sourcing activities at origin and of our local subsidiaries, enabling us to support producers in their transition toward more resilient agricultural practices and to implement social and environmental projects.

Insurance and transport from the production areas to the port of Le Havre, as well as coffee storage and financing costs.

Insurance and transportation from the production areas to the port of Le Havre, as well as storage and financing costs for the cacao.

Costs linked to the purchase of coffee, which remunerate all the players involved, from the producer to the exporter.

For coffees purchased at fixed prices, only storage and financing costs and the €/$ exchange rate will affect the price of coffee from one quarter to the next within the same crop.

For coffees bought at a differential price, the price fluctuates according to market trends, storage and financing costs and the €/$ exchange rate.

Costs related to the purchase of cacao that remunerate all the actors at origin, from the producer to the exporter.

For cacao purchased at a fixed price, only storage costs, financing costs, and the EUR/USD exchange rate will influence price variations from one quarter to another within the same crop.

For cacao purchased with a differential-based pricing model, the price fluctuates according to market movements, as well as storage costs, financing costs, and the EUR/USD exchange rate.

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Your Christmas coffees can finance a project at origin

Meet Luis Barrientos