STiR coffee and tea 39
Eastsign
ers. Some 85% of the arabica plantations are in North Central
Nicaragua, at elevations of 365 to 1,500 meters above sea level.
Caturra is the most prevalent variety, at 72% of the arabica
area, according to the latest report on the origin by the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Other varieties in-
clude Bourbons, Paca, Catuai, Catimore, Maragogype, and Paca-
mara. Two of Nicaragua's longtime classic varieties are Javanica
and Maracaturra. The coffee marketing year starts in October
and ends in September.
Some 140,000 hectares of land are planted in coffee, grown
by 45,000 farmers. Agricultural census data from 2011, the most
recent available, say that 71% of farms are small holders, hav-
ing less than 15 hectares; 22% are medium size, ranging from
15 to 17 hectares; and 7% are large farms at 70 to 350 hectares.
Employment throughout the coffee value chain is more than
330,000 people, according to the USDA.
Specialty sector rising
Demand in international markets is high. One institution help-
ing elevate the origin is the Nicaraguan Specialty Coffee Asso-
ciation (ACEN), founded in 1995. ACEN is spreading the word
that Nicaraguan beans are high quality, says Manfred Günkel,
the group's vice president. This has been helping farmers get
higher prices and become less vulnerable to the price fluctua-
tions driven by commodity markets.
ACEN attends international trade shows and supports Nica-
ragua's edition of the Cup of Excellence, begun in 2002. Gün-
kel also plays an industry role as CEO of Sajonia Estate Coffee,
a mill, roaster, and exporter.
About 45,000 Nicaraguans farm coffee.
Melanie
Böhme
