Nicaragua Dora نيكاراغوا دورا

Known as the land of lakes and volcanoes within Central America, Nicaragua is a pocket for high quality coffee thanks to its rich soils and various microclimates. Coffee arrived in the 1800s with Spanish colonialists, first planted on the mesas of the Pacific plains. Today, coffee has spread to three main production areas: Las Segovias, Matagalpa, and Jinotega; characterized by fertile, volcanic soils and lush vegetation.

In the 20th century, due to political unrest and civil war, coffee farms were abandoned. And with Hurricane Mitch in 1998, much of the coffee infrastructure was destroyed, leaving a vulnerable coffee industry. Nicaragua is considered to be the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, so the restoration of coffee was important for the economy and small producers. Cooperatives helped rebuild the coffee industry, providing producers with access to markets, stable incomes, and resources to efficiently produce coffee. CAFENICA (The Nicaraguan Association of Smallholder Coffee Cooperatives) was created to earn land back for producers and educate them about post-harvest processing methods.

Today, coffee production supports the livelihoods of nearly 45,000 families in Nicaragua, representing 8% of the country’s exports. Most of these producers are smallholders, growing coffee on small plots of land whilst also growing other cash crops such as corn and beans. A significant portion of coffee production, nearly 95%, is grown under a shade of native and exotic tree species. This means that Nicaraguan coffee grows in harmony with the surrounding ecosystems and helps promote biodiversity and soil health. This is vital considering the country is heavily deforested – the 108,000 hectares of coffee farms helps preserve the intact forests and stores carbon in the soil.

Finca Dora has been growing coffee for the past century but was purchased from Doña Dora LeClair de Rivera 35 years ago by its current owner, Daniel Nuñez. The farm is located high in the Jinotega region, surrounded by lush vegetation, mango, Musaceae and citrus trees. Agroforestry systems are in place to promote biodiversity within the region whilst also creating a natural barrier to soil erosion and providing the coffee trees with shade and natural fertilizer.

Daniel and four of his family members work the coffee farm with help from an additional 50 workers during the harvest. It can sometimes be difficult to locate employees since many Nicaraguans are migrating to other countries for work. In order to combat this challenge, Daniel creates jobs for the locals and ensures his employees are paid fair wages.