Aldea Global is a Nicaraguan farmer association consisting of more than 1,000 farm families--most of them belonging to the Chorotega Indigenous Community.

Founded in 1992, Asociación Aldea Global Jinotega is a small and medium farmer association representing over a thousand families in Northern Nicaragua-providing competitive agricultural commercialization services. Aldea Global currently exports specialty coffee, fresh produce such as roots & tubers, as well as beans to the United States and Central American markets.

Aldea Global has placed 1st, 9th, and 24th out of over 1,100 farmers competing in Nicaragua´s Cup of Excellence competitions in specialty coffee. Over the last 12 months, Aldea Global has exported over 80 tons of certified organic and 103 tons of Fair Trade specialty coffee. Starbucks has certified Aldea Global as a Preferred Provider paying it a financial premium for demonstrated quality, social, and environmental responsibility. Based on this success, Aldea Global registered with the USPTO its specialty trade mark "Café Aldea", which it currently sells directly to roasters in the Northwestern United States.

To diversify agriculture exports from coffee, Aldea Global began exporting directly to Miami assorted roots & tubers. With the Food & Drug Administration, Aldea Global is registered as a food handler facility, I.D. #19348303484. Given the extensive availability of labor due to an average six members per rural family, plus abundant lands and apt growing conditions, Jinotega enjoys a regional competitive advantage to expand and diversify production through roots & tubers. Given its long organizational history, Aldea Global can easily organize farmers for new exports.

Aldea Global began training farmers in sustainable agriculture practices thirteen years ago. Currently it is sub-contracted by the Nicaraguan Government, through its Programa Socio-Ambiental Forestal (POSAF), to bring 4,000 hectares under improved environmental management, with special emphasis on the natural reserve, cloud forest, Dantanlí - El Diablo. To date this institution has planted over 300,000 trees with its farmers. Aldea Global´s coffee production processes have been certified by the Fair Trade Labelling Organization, Starbucks, Biolatina, and OCIA as sustainable to the environment.

Aldea Global continues to develop ad-valorum strategic alliances to increase its competitiveness. This includes relationships or subcontracts from USAID through Winrock, World Relief, Chemonics, PFID, in addition to the Inter-American Foundation and Asociación de Productores Exportadores de No-Tradicionales (APEN ) to promote exports and environmental sustainability; as well as, commercial alliances with 12 other farmers associations and cooperatives to provide market access for their production. European support has come principally through CODESPA and Intermon. In the Jinotega department, CLUSA and Project Concern International have coordinated with their beneficiaries/farmer groups to export through Aldea Global.

Our Location and Area of Influence

JINOTEGA: one of the five best climates of the world for growing specialty coffee, cultivating coffee for more than 150 years!Expanding throughout Jinotega, Matagalpa, Madriz, Nueva Segovia and RAAS Departments through alliances with other small farmer organizations. Our Small Farmers grow coffee, maize, beans, and fresh produce.

ALDEA GLOBAL'S HISTORY

1992: A group of small farmers recognized the need to manage and preserve Jinotega’s natural resources on their farms while searching for productive alternatives to improve their families’ quality of life. They slowly developed as a small farmer association promoting natural resource management and conservation.

1996: Asociación Aldea Global Jinotega became legally recognized as a non-profit farmer association with 300 small farmers. Vision: To be an Association with Christian principles supporting Jinotega’s small farm families in their sustainable development, improving their quality of life.

1998: In response to Hurricane Mitch’s devastation, Aldea Global introduced rehabilitation programs in food security and natural resource management. These programs taught rural families to live in harmony with their environment while producing grains, vegetables, meat, and eggs to feed their families. Aldea Global directly benefited over 1,058 individuals, 46 percent women.

2000: Aldea Global’s General Assembly decided to focus on Small farmer’s two greatest needs - increasing credit sources and commercialization opportunities.

2001: Aldea Global starts marketing black beans and chile tabasco for export using a futures contract with guaranteed prices. All farmers involved received credit and technical assistance through Aldea Global.

2001: Jinotega agonizes under the coffee market crash from US$ 1.20 a pound to US$ 0.42 a pound. Results: one out of every three children is malnourished and infant mortality doubled from the previous year in Jinotega. Crushed by their 65% loss in income, Aldea Global’s small coffee farmers meet and decide to focus on three strategies to fight this crisis: food security, crop diversification, and producing/marketing fair trade gourmet coffee.

2002: Aldea Global’s small coffee farmers organize to market their coffee through Aldea Global. These farmers, with shade grown coffee planted at an average of 1,200 meters above sea level, receive technical assistance to produce the best coffee cherries as well as process them correctly in their wet mills to guarantee the highest quality possible. Keeping to the highest gourmet coffee standards (SHB & European Preparation), Aldea Global chooses Esperanza Coffee Group ( www.esperanza.com.ni ) for its dry mill to prepare its coffee for export. Paul Katzeff, Thanksgiving Coffee President and former Specialty Coffee Association of America’s President, stated: “I have found the quality of the coffee processing at Esperanza to be impeccable. The coffee flavors were clean and smooth. They did an impressive job of separating coffees to retain quality and the export part of the operation went smoothly as well.” George Willekes, President, Holland Coffee Group ( www.hollandcoffee.com ), stated: “In Nicaragua, I will only buy my specialty coffee from Esperanza Coffee Group.” Aldea Global is a Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) as well as Specialty Coffee Association of Nicaragua (ACEN) member. Aldea Global Fair Trade certification is in process.