Colorado Coffee

Masaya Volcano, with lava from the last major eruption in
1772. However, it continues to be active with
minor eruptions as recently as last year.

Notice the parking lot to the right. Cars are required

to park facing the exit!

Masaya volcano has two craters, this is the inactive one.

The typical landscape near Ocotal, women applying

fertilizer to tobacco plants by hand.

One of the producers houses, in the peaceful mountains.
Notice coffee beans trying in front of the house.

The view from behind the house: a tropical Colorado.

Another front porch view, and corn drying in the sun.

Interviewing Luis, a small coffee producer from the high hills near Ocotal.

Learning how to pick coffee...its very labor intensive.

This past last week I´ve had even more opportunities to see different parts of Nicaragua. On Tuesday while the entire country celebrated Purisima, the most important Catholic holiday of the year, I took the day off as an opportunity to climb Masaya Volcano, one of Nicaragua´s active volcanos.

The rest of the week, I was able to visit another regional office of PAC, north in Ocotal where they grow some of the world´s best coffee. As you can see from the pictures (although they really dont do justice) the area looks a lot like Colorado with pine trees (which they say give the coffee a distinct flavor), cool clear streams, and mountains (minature Rookies). The temperature is just like Colorado in summer, except here it is mild all year around.

While in Ocotal I had the opportunity to travel for two days with an American and two Nicaraguans doing research on child labor on coffee plantations in the area (for an international Childrens Rights organization). We had the opportunity to interview 5 different farmers, all small coffee growers and members of PAC. We asked them about their different labor and environmental practices, and then asked them how PAC has influenced the choices they make. One of PACs desires is to encourage farmers to be "socially responsible" which of course entails a variety of things. It was all very interesting and I got my fill of home brewed coffee and the sweetest bananas I´ve ever tasted!

All of this is preparation for the purpose of my internship which I am learning is this: to strengthen the relationships between PAC, farmers, and their communities.