We are happy to report that things are going well at the Haiti Coffee Academy. Our next batch of seeds arrived in Haiti via quad bikes, a pickup truck, a DHL van and a plane!. Extended thanks to everyone who helped in liaising with our Brazilian counterparts and to our Brazilian seed specialist, Marcelo.
Our farm is now completely replanted with 5 varieties of seed: 4 Brazilian Arabicas and the local heirloom Typica. We are now managing those plants for 3 years, and will see which ones work best. The 2 new varieties from Brazil will eventually end up at another farm at a higher altitude in an area called Fatima. A drying platform in Fatima, at an altitude of 1,400 meters, is pictured here.
Buying season is now upon us, and we’re concentrating on two areas of production. One is Baptiste in the center of the country, and the other is around our Academy in Thiotte. We tried to look at purchasing in other parts of Haiti, but because we have good relationships in the areas of Thiotte and Baptiste, we are going to focus on them.
We also had the opportunity to visit a rare, thriving strawberry farm while we were in Haiti. It’s inspirational for us to see other agricultural projects blooming in Haiti as it shows that progress can be made and it is possible to make things happen. We’ll have another update coming soon when a couple of our guys travel to Haiti in December to check in on the training programs and to meet our prospective farmers who are selling us coffee. Thanks for all your support!