Father & Daughter: Partners for Cocoa
Don Juan and Reina Méndez are father and daughter. They have become partners for managing and developing their family’s cocoa plantation. Their farm is located in “Waslala Arriba”, a community surrounded by Bosawas, the largest natural biosphere reserve in Central America.
The history of this family with cocoa cultivation started 25 years ago when Don Juan’s father bought the land where they are actually living. In their new home they cultivated mostly beans, bananas, coffee and other fruits and vegetables. However, in the last 3 years, they have focused their work mostly in cocoa cultivation.
As part of Ingemann’s Real Sustainability programs and practices, Don Juan and Reina have received free technical assistance and training in which they are taught better agricultural practices for growing a healthy and productive plantation. The technical knowledge transmitted first hand by the Ingemann technician, has allowed them to constantly implement a correct management of their plantation and hence produce more cocoa. Actually they have grown from 2 Ha. to 3Ha. of cocoa cultivation. In the season of high production that is between the months of November to April, this family produces approximately 5 sacks of 50 kilograms biweekly.
Reina is the one in charge of the farm management activities since she has also received business training by “The Profe Project” imparted by Ingemann. During the training, producers learn to keep financial records of the farm: expenses and income, as well as management of inventory for control purposes.
The family cocoa production is organic certified. As they are part of the Adapta Project developed by Ingemann and with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank IDB, Don Juan and Reina’s family entered to the “Organic Certification Program” promoted by the project which objective is to provide cocoa producers with the technical support during the certification process as well as the total contribution of the economic expenses.
O’Payo™ is the organic cocoa variety produced in Waslala. Certified by USDA, EU and UTZ, this cocoa variety flavor profile is: Passion-Fruit, Coffee, Pineapple, Tannic and Kiwi. As an interesting fact, chocolate bars created with this variety have accumulated a number of 55 gold, silver and bronze awards in the International Chocolate Awards and Academy of Chocolate.
In the morning, father and daughter climb up the mountains to harvest the cocoa. Ingemann technicians send an SMS to Reina notifying the hour that the collection truck is going to arrive that day at their farm gate. She as well as other producers goes to the doors of their farms with the wet-mass in bags to deliver the cocoa to the truck.
They all receive money in cash for the sale of their wet-mass and it is in that day where the commerce is high in the community since the producers, with their money in hands, begin to buy sell and travel to the city to buy the products that they need.
In the community of “Waslala Arriba”, there is a small primary school where Reina sends two of her children to study, who were in class at the moment we took these pictures and videos. Thanks to the production of cocoa, it has been possible for Reina to pay for school expenses and she is even thinking about her children going to college in the future, because of the revenue she is earning from the cocoa production.
In this last picture we can appreciate Reina’s youngest daughter who still does not go to preschool until next year.
If you would like to support producers from “Waslala Arriba”, let’s try the O’Payo™ Organic cocoa variety produced by the hands of these hardworking people.
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